


Horizon

by Enigmatic_Stardust



Series: Wolfsbane [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Overwatch, Blood and Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Amnesia, Implied experimentation, McHanzo Later, Multi, Young Hanzo, Young McCree, a little dark, implied verbal manipulation, maybe a lot darker than I intended whoops, more plot and character development driven than anything else, slow build relationship, soft happy times too, the violence got a bit more than I expected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2018-10-27 05:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 94,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10802574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enigmatic_Stardust/pseuds/Enigmatic_Stardust
Summary: After Reyes finds Jesse McCree, he brings him back to Hogwarts, where Jesse starts his wizarding education six years late. As it turns out though, there's more to the American than meets the eye, something that Hanzo Shimada discovers by mistake. As Jesse struggles to adapt to his new life and family, he's forced to confront his past in order to move on. [AU]





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted as a separate fic, but I felt like it belonged with the primary story.

Gabriel Reyes stared across the table, watching the boy’s reaction. The boy’s previous animosity had evaporated somewhat as he looked at the object placed on the metal table before him. His brown eyes narrowed, nose scrunching ever so slightly as he scowled, attempting to figure out why Gabriel was showing him what appeared to be—

“A stick. You come in here all serious…to show me a fucking stick? Am I supposed to be scared or impressed by the woodwork?”

Gabriel arched an eyebrow, “What do you know about this ‘stick’?” 

He tilted his head, “You’re joking, right? It’s a stick.”

“You’re playing the wrong cards right now, kid,” Gabriel said. 

He crossed his arms, watching the kid’s expression closely. He gave nothing away. It would have been impressive if the kid weren’t all of fourteen.  _I shouldn’t be surprised._ The other Deadlock members he’d interrogated hinted that the boy was their leader’s second for all intents and purposes. Gabriel hadn’t forgotten the trouble he’d had to go through to round up the kid either. The fact that it had taken both him and Ana to bring the kid in had kept him up the past few nights.  _What’ll he choose to do? Is he already lost to the gang, or is he cleverer than that?_

“Jesse.” 

Gabriel frowned, “What?”

The kid leaned back in the chair, jutting out his chin slightly as he watched Gabriel in return. He folded his arms behind his head.

“You asked what my name was earlier. It’s Jesse. So do you go by Gabe or—”

He was trying to get the situation under his control, Gabriel realized. He wanted to be in power or at the very least to show that he wasn’t going to be immediately quelled or drawn in by Gabriel. He almost smiled.

“I go by Reyes around here,” he said firmly. 

He saw the shift in Jesse’s demeanor. He was relaxing now that he seemed to feel like he was somewhat in control. He looked back down at the object on the table and nodded towards it.

“So why’d you bring that in here? It looks like a theater prop.”

His bright eyes flicked up to Gabriel and for a moment, he saw the acute gaze that had stared him down from at the back of the diner.

“You and your friend had those when you broke into our home. I laughed at the first fucker who thought a stick would do anything against a gun but then I watched Terry collapse before one of those sticks was pointed at me.” He grinned, “I was a faster draw.”

“You were,” Gabriel agreed, “but your aim was a bit sloppy.”

That got a rise out of the kid. He bristled ever so slightly, shoulders tensing and smile falling just a bit.

“I always land my shots. Your friend didn’t die, right?” 

“It’s easier to aim for a person’s core. It would have been easier to shoot her there instead of her leg. Less dangerous for you too in the long run.”

“Would your men have stopped to take care of a dead woman?”

Gabriel hummed a note, “You used her to stall? Clever excuse. Back to the question at hand though." 

“I know what you’re trying to get me to say but it's not going to work.”

Wariness, disbelief even, lingered in the boy’s eyes.

“What’s so hard to believe? Why’s it so difficult to say?”

Gabriel stood up, eliciting a minute reaction from Jesse. Rather than turning to stare down at the boy, he started to pace, as if he were the one trying to parse out the problem. In a way, he was. He didn’t believe in divination but Mondatta had been right about one thing: the kid didn’t seem like a hopeless case. A hopeless case wouldn’t have engaged him in a conversation. A hopeless case wouldn’t have tried to protect a scared little girl while the rest of his “family” was being hunted down by Blackwatch. No, a hopeless case would have thrown down the flash bang and abandoned the girl to save his own hide.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve encountered strange things, Jesse.” Gabriel paused, “You yourself are rather strange, aren’t you?”

“Fuck off.”

He had to be careful now. He allowed himself to glance back over at Jesse briefly and saw that he was looking away towards the wall, a scowl starting to form on his face. He saw the slight twitch of the fingers on his left hand. Gabriel remained silent, letting his words sit in the stagnant air. He could wait as long as was needed. It would be a while before the auror’s potion master arrived with the veritaserum. He was against using it but the Magical Congress of the United States of America and his own bosses back at the Ministry of Magic had overruled his protests. They only wanted a confession and information about the Deadlock Gang and their shadowy puppeteers. It was easy to overlook the kid caught in the crossfire when he was just a name in a report. Something had pushed him into the Deadlock Gang though and kept him there. Gabriel wanted to know what.

“It’s a curse,” Jesse finally said, the words forced through tight lips, “the thing that makes me ‘strange’. What you did though—what your people did…what the hell was that?”

Gabriel let out a heavy sigh, briefly shutting his eyes.  _Shit._  He’d been afraid of this.  _Still, if I can get enough evidence, this might be his saving grace._  He turned around and sat down on the edge of the table, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible. He could tell how much it pained Jesse to ask the question, to admit that he’d noticed something out of the ordinary beyond his current worldview—to briefly pass the power over to Gabriel so he could figure out the puzzle that had no doubt been forming in his head for years. 

“I’ll explain, but I have to ask you a few more questions first.” He waited for the look of acceptance from Jesse before continuing, “You’ve probably had a lot of strange things happen around you while you were growing up, right? Things happening because you simply ­ _wanted_  them to? I’m guessing that you never got a strange letter in the mail or heard of somewhere called Ilvermorny?” 

“I never get mail and what the hell is Ilvermorny?” He leaned in ever so slightly, unable to contain his curiosity—there was hope in his eyes, hope for an answer to a question he’d buried down deep for years, refusing to acknowledge for more than a few brief moments during every month. 

So he was right. The kid had gotten lost in the system who knew how many years ago. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened but it was rare.  _Deadlock must have found him right before he came of age to go to school._  He picked up the wand from off of the table. Jesse immediately stiffed, his shackles clinking and briefly glowing from the sudden movement. Gabriel raised the wand and quietly said,

“Lumos.”

A gentle white glow illuminated the room. Jesse stared at the wand, his mask now completely dissolved. His eyes widened, mouth opening slightly to form a small ‘o’.

“There’s a whole community of people who are like you, Jesse. They have  _gifts_. Magic.”

“There’s no…it’s…” he looked away from the wand and up at Gabriel, “That can’t be magic. There’s no such thing. It’s just an LED light or something.”

“Kid, half of your gang turns into wolves once a month. You want to tell me how they can do that without magic?”

Jesse tried to run a hand through his hair, but the shackles lit up, preventing the movement since it was too jerky, too sudden.  _He’s shaken._  Gabriel hadn’t expected that.

“Let me guess,” he began slowly, “Your boss picked you up, said you were special and that you’d be safe with his family. Sound about right?”

His lack of an answer said enough. It wasn’t uncommon for magical gangs to pick up kids who were orphans or runaways. Usually the government could find the kids thanks to their trace but if the child had been born to a muggle family or if a wizard was good enough—as he suspected the leader of the Deadlock gang was—the trace could be removed and once that was gone it was almost impossible to track down the lost kids. Some kids were lucky enough to get some rudimentary magical training but sometimes they became an obscurus. Reyes hadn’t forgotten the burst of energy that Jesse had unleashed when they’d tried to bring him in. It was unintentional magic, but it hadn’t been obscurial magic. If he was sent to Azkaban though now without training Reyes had no doubt that he would eventually succumb to the repressed power (assuming the Dementors didn’t simply do him in emotionally).

“I’m not going to lie: you’re in a bad situation right now. Most of the folks here think you intentionally joined Deadlock as a wizard, not an ignorant kid who didn’t realize what he was getting into. They think you purposely decided to join that pack and that you agree with their mantra and if they keep thinking that, they’re going to send you to Azkaban with your old wizarding gang. You’ve got a choice to make. In about an hour, someone’s going to come in here with a truth potion. If you cooperate and work with us, you can have a new life. You can learn about your heritage and actually do something with your life. I know you’re not a bad kid but right now I’m just about the only person who thinks that.”

“I was doing something with my life—“ Jesse broke in, but Gabriel cut him off.

“Stealing? Acting as a criminal’s attack dog? I know your reputation more than you might realize. A kid with your skillset doesn’t go unnoticed and given your affliction, you want to be very careful from here on out because the people who’ll be asking you questions next don’t seem to think there’s anything about you worth saving. I disagree.”

“Oh fuck off can you be any more good-cop, bad-cop?” Jesse spat, “You’re trying to get me to sell out my family to save my own skin. Well you can kiss my ass.”

Gabriel mumbled ‘nox’ and the light from his wand went out. 

“You’ve got time to think about it and I suggest you do.” He looked away, “I’m not supposed to tell you this but most of the others sold you out—wizard and muggle alike. They told me as much as they could about you to get a lighter sentence.”

Jesse gave a hollow grin, “Well the bastards want my spot as second so of course, they’d try to get me out of the picture. I can’t blame them for that.”

Gabriel got to his feet, “If you say so, kid. You know, I don’t normally have to say this to people in that chair, but a bit of advice: look out for number one. It’s not snitching if they’re not loyal to you to begin with.”

“Man you’re really shitty at this ‘interrogation’ thing. Did you just watch a cop movie before you came here?”

Gabriel started to walk towards the door. Maybe he’d read him wrong. Maybe it was all false bravado right now— _False bravado that’ll get him sent to Azkaban._  There was only so much he could do though. It was up to the kid if he wanted to be saved.

“Reyes—you’re not fucking with me, are you? It’s all real?”

He paused. He didn’t look back as he said, “Yes.”

* * *

 

He watched the local department come in to administer the truth serum and to his relief, Jesse took it without complaint. He said nothing as they brought it over and explained the situation. He only acknowledged them with a small nod before taking the potion. He told them everything he knew about the Deadlock Gang with a deadpan tone, his gaze always set straight ahead. It might have been a conscious choice to never face his interrogators—the one decision he could make while on the potion. Reyes wasn’t sure and he doubted he would ever know.

When the interrogation was over, they put Jesse back into a holding cell. Reyes kept an eye on him for most of the night, noting the way he simply laid on the cot, staring up at the ceiling. No theatrics, no shouting threats. Just silence.

When the next morning came, Reyes filed his proposal to the Magical Congress of the United States of America and the Ministry of Magic. It didn’t take long for him to be summoned up to a conference chamber where he was met by the heads of each Auror department and to his surprise: the Minister of Magic. He explained his case, proposed the benefits of having an ex-Deadlock Gang member on their side and his hope for rehabilitating Jesse. Of course, they questioned how he intended to handle Jesse’s unique situation. He already had it all planned out though. He could make it work with Ana's help. He would pay for the boy’s schooling and eventual housing. He would take any and all responsibility for Jesse’s actions and, should Jesse step out of line and put the other students at risk or attempt to return to his gang, he would be the one to bring him in or end him. In the end, though, they agreed. Contracts were signed and by the end of the day, Jesse McCree was signed over into Gabriel Reyes’ custody.


	2. Life's Never Uneventful

“Did you hear about the American?”

“Why’s an American at Hogwarts? He’s not even a first year. Who starts school at sixteen?”

“I heard he was adopted by some auror after his dad was arrested.”

“I heard he’s a muggleborn and he kept getting kicked out of houses and even Ilvermorny didn’t want to take him in.”

“I heard he was adopted by that Professor Reyes fellow.”

“Yeah, yeah, but did you see his hat?”

Jesse tucked his hat down a little lower over his head, shuffling down the hall. He’d been here for nearly a week already, but the whispers and assumptions still followed him. He didn’t bother trying to correct people; it wasn’t like they would listen anyway. No one ever did, not even the stupid man who’d taken him from America and shoved him off into some stupid school because he was ‘gifted’. _Cursed more like_ , he thought, not for the first time. He’d heard the explanation, been through the bullshit sorting ceremony (he’d been nearly a foot taller than everyone else being sorted--they were proper first years after all), but he still couldn’t believe that magic was a good or even neutral thing. The girl on the train had certainly seemed to think magic was simply a tool, neither good nor bad. She'd spent the first hour of the trip to Hogwarts trying to convince him.

_“You’re going to like it here,” she’d said, passing him over a bit chocolate (moving chocolate at that—who thought it was a good idea to charm an animal-shaped chocolate?), “The professors are all nice and the common rooms are great.”_

_Jesse stared, “Right, I’m going to like a school where even my food is weird.”_

_“Oh, it’s just an enchantment. It’ll wear off shortly, watch.”_

_“Why are you talking to me anyway?” He turned away, glaring out the window._

_It had to be the first sunny day he’d seen since coming to Britain and Jesse absolutely hated it. The landscape was too green and had too many hills. It was nothing like the flat open land or the towering gorge near the train tracks out in the Midwest United States._

_“You’re that transfer student, right? I remember my first day at Hogwarts. My name is Angela Ziegler.”_

_When he didn’t reply, she didn’t seem too bothered. She simply held out her hand again, offering the chocolate._

_“The frog’s enchantment ran out. You should be able to eat it now if you want. It’s not as good as Swiss chocolate, but it’s still pretty tasty.”_

 

* * *

 

Jesse sat at the back of the class near the door, reclining back in his chair. He slid his hat over his eyes, preparing for an hour-long nap like he had every other class when suddenly he felt his chair yanked back. He fell backward, landing with a smack on the stone floor. His fall was met with a chorus of laughs as he tried to force air back into his lungs. Pushing his hat off of his red face, he glared up at a man with pale blonde hair, blue robes, and an overall Captain America sort of look. He scowled down at Jesse, not saying a word.

“What’s your problem, asshole?”

This of course was met with a chorus of ‘oooooh’s from the other students (his fellow classmates were _s_ o mature). Jesse recognized the man from the sorting ceremony as one of the professors. The man grabbed the front of Jesse’s robes and with surprising strength, pulled him up to his feet before picking up the chair again and pushing Jesse back down into it properly.

“That,” he said, “is how you sit in a chair. Welcome to transfiguration, Mr. McCree. In this class, the only curses you’ll use are the ones used to cast spells. Are we clear?”

Jesse mumbled something nondescript, looking away.

“I asked you a question. Are we clear?”

“Fuck off.”

“I could turn you into a toad for a comment like that, but I think the demonstration would be lost on you if you were croaking around the classroom. Since this is your first time in my class and if I had to guess, your first time in a classroom at all--” More chuckles from the class. “--I’m going to let you off with a warning and not send you off to the headmaster. That said, ten points from Gryffindor for your conduct.”

The laughs stopped at that. Jesse didn’t care. He’d gotten his way. The professor had let him off with a ‘warning’ and better still; he hadn’t had to answer his question. The professor wasn’t his boss.

“I’m Professor Morrison,” the professor said once he’d gone to the front of the room, less for the benefit of the other students and more for Jesse.

He said some other things, but Jesse wasn’t paying much attention. He was looking down at the small, crude carving on the desk of what he could only guess was a wolf. It looked wrong though. The snout was too short for one thing and Jesse had the distinct impression of a werepug rather than a werewolf. The thought made him smirk.

There was a shuffling sound as students pulled out their wands and Jesse, attention returning to the present, mimed them. He hadn’t had a practical lesson all week and frankly, he hadn’t taken out his wand to try anything since he’d been on the train with that girl Angela, who’d insisted on showing him a levitation spell. Much to his surprise (not that he’d shown it—Jesse had always been a good actor) he’d succeeded on the first try. A funny word; a swish and flick, and suddenly the chocolate frog card was hovering over their heads, the face of some witch named Alberta Toothill beaming down at him.

“We’re going to warm up now and review a few old spells to make sure you all haven’t forgotten how to use your wands over the summer. Who can tell me what snufflifors is used for?”

A boy with long dark hair raised his hand and in an almost bored tone said, “It’s used for transfiguring objects into mice.”

Jesse laughed, “Why the hell would y’all need to change something into a mouse?”

Professor Morrison let out a heavy sigh, “Can you change a book into a mouse, Mr. McCree?”

“Pft. What was the spell? Snuffle somethin’? Sure.”

“Well then, think fast!”

The professor actually threw a book at him (and with surprisingly good aim). Jesse jerked his wand in an upward, slashing motion, half wanting to shout “fuck!” but stubbornly sticking to the spell.

“Snufflifors!”

There was a flash of pink and suddenly a mouse was falling through the air towards him. He dropped his wand (causing it to emit a splash of sparks as it hit the desk) and caught the mouse, cradling it close to his chest like when he’d saved a goal in soccer.

“Good work, Mr. McCree. Five points to Gryffindor for that fast reaction as well.”

“Bet he can’t change it back,” the boy with the long hair challenged.

“Why don’t you change it back!” Jesse snapped, still holding the mouse near his heart.

“An excellent idea, Mr. McCree. Mr. Shimada, care to give a demonstration of the reparifarge spell?”

“Child’s play,” the boy said, waving his hand, “Hold out the mouse then.”

Jesse felt the warmth between his fingers, the small, quivering nose and quick breaths of the tiny life held between his cupped palms. He didn’t move.

“Why? So you can show off?”

The exasperation in Professor Morrison’s sigh was tangible, “Mr. McCree, hand over the mouse.”

“No.”

“Then go see Professor Reyes.”

The two glared at each other until finally, reluctantly, Jesse unclasped his hands, setting the mouse down on the desk. There was a silent understanding and Professor Morrison waved Mr. Shimada on, asking him to commence with the demonstration. Jesse looked away as the boy jabbed his wand towards the mouse. Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse saw a flash of light and when he looked back, _A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration_ sat on his desk in place of the mouse.

There were no more outbursts for the rest of the class from Jesse McCree.

 

* * *

 

 

Jesse left the class before anyone could stop him when the bell rang. He slapped his hat back on his head, hunching his shoulders up as he made his way back towards the grand staircase. He heard Professor Morrison calling his name somewhere behind him, but Jesse ignored him. He knew what the Professor was going to say anyway. “Go see Professor Reyes”. _Fuck both of them_ , Jesse thought bitterly, jumping up the steps a few at a time before he made it up to the seventh floor and through the portrait of the Fat Lady.

There were a few others in the common room; two hunched together over a book and parchment, clearly trying to understand (or from what Jesse heard, create) a new spell. There was a fourth-year girl who was on the Quidditch team (whatever that was) who was running around the room chasing a little gold ball. Jesse went up to the boy’s dorm, tossing himself down onto his bed face first.

What was he doing here? This sort of place wasn’t for him. Uniforms and hierarchy without meaning? And then there was the bullshit with Reyes. He hadn’t asked him for this. Jesse rolled over, looking up at the overhanging covering his four-poster bed. It was raining again outside. There was always rain and fog here.

“That’s just how Scotland is,” Angela had told him his first morning there, “You’ll get used to it and think about it this way: it just makes the nice days that much nicer.”

Jesse groaned and pushed himself up again, walking over to the window. He could just see the edge of the forbidden forest. He wondered if the rumors about it were true if monsters really did live in there. Even if there weren’t, he doubted he could find his way through. Surrounded by walls and a maze of a forest, there really wasn’t an escape. As the realization hit him, he found himself unable to sit still. There was always a way out. There had to be a way out. This couldn’t be a prison, not with so many kids here. _I deserve a prison though. I should be with the others._

 

* * *

 

“He’s not adjusting well, Gabe. I don’t know what more you want us to do. I’ve tried to be reasonable with him, but his insubordination--”

“He’s not training to be an Auror, Jack. He’s a kid. We have to be patient with him.”

“I just don’t get it though.” Jack sat down on top of the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You said he had almost no prior training before you found him, correct?”

“Only what those bastards showed him.” Gabe sat down on the desk next to Jack. “He was using wandless magic, Jack. You should have seen it. It was crude, of course, learned out of necessity, but he sent me and my boys flying through sheer force of will.”

Jack shook his head, “He’s talented, I’ll give him that. He cast a spell in my class today that I doubt he’s ever heard of on his first try. The only other kids I’ve seen do that are Miss Ziegler and the older Mr. Shimada.”

“You’re forgetting Miss Bhimani.”

“I thought she went without saying. She’s a genius when it comes to charms. Back to Jesse though--”

“He’s going to take some time, Jack. That gang did a number on him, especially after the incident, and I doubt he was the sort to trust easily before he joined up with them. He’s not a bad kid though.”

Jack thought back to the class earlier that day, the way Jesse had glared at him, brown eyes ablaze with defiance. But then he thought about that damn mouse (it wasn’t even a real mouse, just a book) and how Jesse had given him the same look before reluctantly handing it over, looking as though he’d been sentenced to Azkaban.

“He wanted to protect it.” At Gabe’s confused look Jack explained, “This mouse. I had him transform a book into a mouse and after he wouldn’t give it over to Mr. Shimada. I thought he was just being stubborn.”

Gabe gave the faintest of smiles; “He did something similar when I met him. Shielded another kid after he’d been hit with three stun spells already and he refused to go down. Fought us with everything he had to try to let that kid get away. Apparently, the other kid wasn’t part of the gang. Jesse didn’t want her to get hurt in the crossfire.”

“Three stun spells--? How was he still standing? Even being a--”

“You had the right of it,” Gabe interrupted, “He’s stubborn.”

Jack took Gabe’s hand, running his thumb over the other man’s calloused palm, “Can you talk with him? I appreciate what you’re trying to do with him, but if you really want to help him…”

“I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry.”

 

* * *

 

Jesse abandoned trying to sleep in Gryffindor tower. In the dead of night, after hours of tossing and turning, he quietly snuck down to the common room and left, earning a reproachful comment from the Fat Lady. It was easy to sneak around the castle at night. None of his classmates were light sleepers and once out in the halls, he was free to do as he pleased as long as he avoided Peeves, the ghosts, and the Caretaker. The stillness wasn’t unnerving; rather the opposite, and the thrill of slipping about through the shadows made him feel alive again. Over the past week he’d found a few spots he liked to relax in, but by far his favorite was the astronomy tower. He’d nearly been caught on Wednesday night when he’d almost walked in on a class, but after learning the astronomy schedule he was free to come and go as he pleased.

It was cold at the top of the tower, but with his bathrobe and heavy blanket, he hardly noticed or cared. The bite of cool reminded him of the desert and now that the rain had cleared out, the sky was open to a splash of stars. Laying his head back on the stone, he could stare up at it for hours, imagining that he really was back home in America under the spangled sky with the rest of the gang. It hadn’t always been pleasant (far from it), but it had been home.

He didn’t move when he heard footsteps coming up the tower stairs. It was some time before they reached the top, but by then he’d already figured out who it was.

“Jesse...what are you doing here?”

“Trying to sleep.”

Reyes let out a heavy sigh and sat down next to Jesse, looking up at the stars too. For a while, they were both silent, and Jesse found it both comforting and disconcerting. He shifted, moving just an inch further from Reyes. The gesture wasn’t missed.

“Heard you transfigured a book into a mouse today. Good job.”

“It’s a stupid spell. Doesn’t have any use.”

Reyes chuckled, “You’d be surprised.”

Jesse glanced over at Reyes, noting the dark purple under his eyes. “Why do you work so much? You’re an Auror. You don’t have to be a professor too to make a living. I heard it’s your first year teaching too. Is it because of me?”

“I’d been planning on leaving the field for a while. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed like a good way to transition out of it.”

Jesse nodded. It was still odd being able to just ask a question and get an answer. He’d grown up under different rules. Until you’re higher up, your job is to be seen, not heard. Listen if you want to learn, but don’t let folks know how much you know, even if they said things right in front of you. Play dumb, be charming or abrasive as the situation requires. Don’t be stupid though and never ask questions. Reyes considered all of his questions though with a thoughtful silence and explanation. He never told Jesse “you’re not ready to hear the answer” or “because that’s how it is.” Even if he couldn’t tell Jesse everything, he tried to at least tell him something.

“Why Hogwarts though and not...Ilvermorny? You’re American too.”

Reyes smirked, “I’ve got friends here at Hogwarts, plus this is where I went to school.”

“Friends, huh?” Jesse casually looked away off towards the forest, “You aren’t referring to Professor Morrison, are you?”

Reyes immediately flinched, looking incredulously at Jesse who gave a satisfied little hum.

“I saw the way you were looking at him during the feast. Y’all dating?”

Reyes grabbed Jesse’s hat and tugged it down over his face in a playful way, “Now that ‘ain’t you damn business’ as you’d say.” A pause. “But yes. He’s one of the friends who drew me here.”

Jesse grinned, pushing his hat back up, “I knew it.”

“Think you can keep yourself in check then during that class? For my sake?”

Jesse considered. He knew what Reyes was trying to do. It was a good ploy, using an emotional argument to manipulate him into behaving.

“He knocked me out of my chair you know.”

“He said you were sleeping in his class.”

Jesse looked offended, “Class hadn’t even started yet!”

“Can you behave or not?”

Jesse huffed, “Fine. Just ‘cause you asked and he’s your boyfriend...but he’d better behave too.”

Reyes laughed, “I’ll tell him you said that.”

“Oh fuck off.”

That earned him another hat over the face. The two settled back, looking up again at the revolving sky. For a while, Jesse was content to sit there, the tension from before gone. It was a constant game between them, a push and pull of trust that had to be renewed almost daily, but Reyes never seemed to mind. Every day they spoke he managed to break through the ice just a little faster than before, drawing a smile from Jesse with a quip or simple gesture.

“Moon’s going to be full next week.”

Reyes nodded, “Professor Amari will talk with you about that. Make sure you see her tomorrow after class. I think she mentioned wanting to recruit you too.”

Jesse looked away from the moon, arching an eyebrow, “Recruit? Isn’t she the potions master? I’m not good with that stuff and I’ve got enough remedial classes as it is to catch up.”

“Classes that I hear you’ve been skipping.” Reyes continued, “I’ll let her tell you about it. I think you’ll be interested though once she explains.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was originally going to be a one-shot based on a doodle of mine, but I got carried away. Trying to come up with a Hogwarts AU turned out to be way more fun than I imagined, so this’ll definitely be a thing for now on as long as I’ve got time. For those curious about the time period: while it’s a different universe, it would be after Harry Potter if he were in this universe. That being said, it is based more on the book universe.
> 
> Edit 7/25/17 : Work edited for grammar and continuity.


	3. Jolly Giants and Flying Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After promising to behave and meet with Professor Amari, Jesse goes about his day at Hogwarts. Anxiety starts to build up though and he thinks back to some of his early memories with the Deadlock Gang.

Ana Amari was the potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had been since the birth of her daughter, who was currently attending Hogwarts as a fourth year Gryffindor. She was kind and known to have a sense of humor, but didn’t take well to students who fooled around in her class. She was also the headmistress of Hogwarts as of last year. That was the extent of Jesse’s knowledge of Professor Amari and it wasn’t enough for him. Reyes had told him the night before that Professor Amari wanted to speak with him after class (a class that Jesse had wanted to skip).

“Behave yourself with Ana,” Reyes had warned him on the way down from the astronomy tower, “She’s not someone you want to mess with. Professor Morrison’ll tolerate you to a degree, but Ana doesn’t play around. Oh, and no cursing around her, you hear?”

Jesse had begrudgingly agreed to behave, although as the night wore into day and he pushed himself out of bed, a sense of unease started to churn in his stomach. All he had was Reyes’s word to go on about Professor Amari and what rumors he’d heard after the sorting ceremony. That girl Angela had said something about her as well on the train, but it was more or less the same as what he’d heard others say about Professor Amari. Heading down to the Great Hall, Jesse was almost tempted to go to Angela and talk to her again to see if maybe she had any idea what the Professor might want to ‘recruit’ him for, but seeing her sitting with the rest of the Ravenclaws, her face stuck in a book, he decided against it. Besides, she was sitting with a boy that Jesse recognized as the other Shimada brother, Genji. He wasn’t a Ravenclaw, but evidentially he didn’t care about assigned seats.

Taking a seat at the Gryffindor house table, Jesse reached for a bit of everything within reach, stacking his plate high with toast, sausage, slices of ham that were apparently supposed to be bacon, beans, eggs, and some pancakes for good measure. He still wasn’t used to the plates refilling and half expected to one day expected to come down to breakfast and find them empty. Old eating habits died hard it seemed. The girl he’d seen chasing around the golden ball the previous day sat down next to him, loading up her plate nearly as high as his.

“Hungry too, huh?” she asked, “Oh, could you pass the jam? Thanks, love.”

Jesse nodded and went back to his own food. The girl continued to watch him curiously, almost in a concerned way, before holding out her hand, smiling chipperly at him.

“I’m Lena Oxton. You’re Jesse right? Jesse McCree? I couldn’t imagine coming all the way from America! It must be pretty different here, huh?”

Jesse worked to swallow his food before replying, “It’s not so different. Weather’s shit and all, but people are people, even if they’re magical I guess. It’s all about figuring out where you fit in at the end.”

 “You know, you should hang out with the house more often,” Lena offered, “We all want to get to know you. Genji was just saying earlier that you’re wicked fast with a spell. Apparently, his brother told him about something you did in class.”

 Jesse tried to give what he hoped was a casual smile as he lowered his hat a little, casting his face in shadow. He looked back down at his food, picking at some of the beans with his fork.

 “Is that so?”

 Lena nodded eagerly, “With reflexes like that, you should try out for quidditch. It’s a bit weird for muggleborns at first, but it might be fun, right?”

She was looking eagerly at him in a way that Jesse wasn’t used to. Her eyes didn’t have the calm, calculated kindness that he saw in Angela’s, or the pity Reyes had. There wasn’t even the usual wary curiosity that he generally saw cast his way. She was genuinely trying to talk to him. Did he really look that sorry that some fourth year was willing to go out of their way to be friends? She didn’t even know him or anything about him…but maybe that was a good thing. ‘ _That’s how friendships usually start, right?’_  Jesse pushed that thought away.

“I’ll think about it. I have a lot of catching up to do as it is.”

“Oh yeah, you were homeschooled. That must have been pretty nice. Did you still have homework?”

“Not really,” Jesse said offhandedly, once again becoming very interested in his food. “I ah…”

 “Right, sorry! You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I used to have a lot of trouble with homesickness during my first year, but then I met Lucio and Genji.” She put a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sure you’ll meet some friends in your year too. If you want to just get away though from all of this for a while, come find me, ok? I’ll take you out to the pitch so we can fly around a bit.”

 “I’ll consider it,” Jesse said.

 Lena nodded eagerly before setting to work properly on her breakfast. Jesse followed suit, thinking about her offer. He’d never flown on anything other than an airplane, and that had only been one time. Apparently, first years had flying lessons, but he wasn’t a first year, was he? He’d been thrown in with the six years and expected to catch up with tutoring and his own stubbornness. Part of him had felt a small sense of pride that Reyes thought he could keep up and pushed for him to be put with the other wizards his age rather than setting him back a few years. Of course, he didn’t let that pride be known. He still had to prove himself after all, even if he thought this whole place seemed like some ridiculous dream.

Every morning he opened his eyes he half expected to wake up with the gang around him, as if Reyes and the other aurors had never come. What was perhaps scarier than the whole thing being a dream was it all being real. Accepting it was real meant accepting that it could all be taken away. His first few nights at Hogwarts he’d woken up in a sweat, expecting the boss to show up in the dorm, gun pointed at his chest, shouting that he was a traitor.  _‘He’s away in that prison though for wizards. The family’s gone and this is what I have. I have to remember what Reyes said and make the best of this chance.’_

 

After getting second helpings of everything and hoarding what he could in his bag, Jesse got up from the table and milled out with the rest of the students for the first class of the day. Potions wasn’t until after lunch (thankfully—if half of what he heard about potions was true he doubted he would have an appetite for lunch after class). Before potions he had History of Magic and then a break before one of his remedial classes. Other sixth years had their elected courses during that block, but the headmaster and Reyes had decided it was better if he stuck with the core classes unless there was something that he was particularly interested in. Muggle Studies had seemed completely useless, as had Divination. He’d been interested in Arithmancy (much to Reyes’s surprise) because it was a type of magic that made sense, being tied to numbers and all, and he had also been interested in Care of Magical Creatures (until he’d learned they would not be taking care of dragons). In the end, though, Reyes had decided that he should stick with his remedial courses instead. It didn’t really make a difference to Jesse in the end. It wasn’t like he knew what he was missing out on.

 It didn’t take him long to find the History of Magic classroom. He slipped inside and sat down in the back, laying his head down on the desk. He was tired. He was used to staying up late, but he was starting to get the feeling that he was getting sick. _Probably just mentally tired from dealing with everyone_. He wasn’t used to being around so many people all of the time. The Deadlock Gang was…had…been decently sized, but everyone had their own groups. It made sense that way. Jesse supposed that the house system was created for a similar reason: it helped create a sense of belonging and family.

 “Oh hello! I didn’t hear you come in!” came a sudden, booming shout from the front of the room as the Professor stepped out of his office.

 The man was massive, at least 7’4” (he seemed taller) and built like he belonged in a weightlifting competition. Despite the man’s massive frame, Jesse didn’t feel immediately antagonistic towards him. The professor came striding over to him, waving his hand while grinning. ‘ _He’s like a jolly juggernaut,’_ Jesse thought, staring at him,  _‘Is he really a professor?_ He’d seen the professor of course during the sorting ceremony and briefly after since he was head of Gryffindor house, but he’d only actually seen the professor behind a table waving. He’d never seen him standing before, so his full height hadn’t occurred to him.

 “You’re Jesse McCree! Welcome!”

 He had a German accent, Jesse noted, which wasn’t entirely unusual, but certainly different from what he’d been expecting (perhaps Austrian or Russian?).

 “It’s Reinhardt, right? Professor?”

 The professor nodded, “Yes! Ah! Hello! Hello!”

Other students were coming in now. To Jesse’s surprise, none of them seemed to have the ‘look of doom’ he’d remembered seeing on kid’s faces years ago in middle school (he’d never started high school) when kids shuffled into history class. They actually seemed…excited?

 “We’ll have to speak later! I look forward to teaching you, my friend. If you have any questions, ask!”

 The class _was_ enjoyable. Professor Reinhardt taught history like it was a story. He got excited or sad at certain parts of the lesson. He spoke with his hands and was extremely expressive. Jesse was so absorbed in the lesson that he didn’t realize that the class was over until the bell rang, causing him to start.

 “Wonderful lesson! Be sure to finish the reading before next class!”

 Jesse left the class in a relatively good mood. He decided to skip his remedial transfiguration class in spite of his promise to Reyes (he didn’t want to see Morrison again—it would just ruin his mood) and instead found himself wandering through the corridors. It was easy enough to move around unnoticed in the castle. The ghosts would question him sometimes and the portraits, but usually the excuse of ‘I’m going to the bathroom’ made them leave him alone. Most kids trying to be sneaky were obvious and made a huge clatter about it. Jesse was used to being quiet though. He had to be back with the Deadlock Gang. Noisy people were dead people.

He made his way through the halls without really thinking about where he was going. He changed direction whenever he heard noise, or when he thought he saw something interesting down a corridor. There were lots of interesting things to be found around Hogwarts. He’d heard rumors about secret passages and was determined to find them all. So far he hadn’t had any luck, but he had found a few unused classrooms that made good places to hide away or to practice spells from his books (just because he thought magic was ridiculous didn’t mean he wasn’t going to practice—only an idiot turned their nose up at a tool).

After about a half hour of wandering through, Jesse found himself thinking back to what Reyes had asked of him. As much as he didn’t want to see Professor Morrison, he had promised Reyes he would try harder, and if he’d been reading Reyes well enough, those two were an item, or close to being one. _The fact that Morrison spoke to Reyes about me means that it was an issue that he thought was personal. He’d have gone to the headmaster or the head of my house if it wasn’t_. While Jesse didn’t like Professor Morrison, he did respect Reyes and he didn’t want to cause him more trouble.

Against his better judgment, Jesse made his way over to the Transfiguration classroom. The door was already open and he slid inside, ready to make some apology, but stopped when he saw Professor Morrison sleeping with his head on the desk. Jesse hesitated, torn between waking the professor and simply leaving. He chose the latter.

He was about halfway down the hall when he suddenly heard a strange noise. Jesse turned, hand reaching for a gun that wasn’t there (just a stupid stick). Slowing his breathing, he listened. He heard it again. It was such a bizarre sound that he didn’t know what to make of it until it came soaring down the hall towards him. It was a flying book. Jesse stared, not really sure what he was seeing at first. Only too late did he see who was chasing after the flying book.

“McCree! Grab the book!” Professor Morrison shouted, “Use the spell that Mr. Shimada used yesterday!”

Rather than ask why Professor Morrison didn’t do it, Jesse pulled out his wand and snapped the spell that he’d heard the other boy use. Almost immediately the book flopped to the ground, giving one, final shudder before it sat motionless before Jesse.

Professor Morrison came running over. He poked the book tentatively with his foot, then knelt down to pick it up.

“What was that about?” Jesse asked, looking curiously at the book.

“A prank from Reyes I’m guessing for falling asleep at my desk. Woke up to a book attacking me and my wand gone.” He smirked, shaking his head, “Never sleep without your wand on your person.”

“Of course not. Gun, wand, doesn’t make much of a difference.”

Professor Morrison’s smile faded, “A wand isn’t a gun. A gun can only kill people; it’s only a weapon. A wand though—“

“—is a tool. Yeah, yeah, I’m not stupid. I’ve heard the lecture already. I’m guessing you left your wand on the desk while you napped?”

Professor Morrison nodded, although he still looked somewhat wary of Jesse. “I’ll find it back on my desk later if I had to venture a guess.” He frowned suddenly, “Did you just walk down that hallway there?”

“It’s not a crime.” Jesse looked away, “I didn’t want to bother you.”

“You were  _in_  my classroom?”

“I’m supposed to meet with you now, so I was there, but you were asleep so I left. Whatever, tell Reyes, I don’t care.” He put his wand away, turning to leave.

“Wait, McCree! I’m not mad.”

That made Jesse pause. “You’re not?”

“Of course not,” Professor Morrison said, “I’m just surprised; that’s all. I didn’t think you’d come to class…and frankly I’m surprised I didn’t hear you. I’m not exactly a heavy sleeper.”

Jesse remained silent, not really meeting Professor Morrison’s eyes.

“We’ve still got time before lunch. We might as well have our lesson.”

Jesse nodded mutely and followed after him.

 

* * *

 

 

Jesse was all too eager for lunch after his lesson with Professor Morrison. It hadn’t been horrible, but it certainly left him feeling on edge. It was the way the professor watched him, like he expected Jesse to suddenly explode. _Guess he heard about the raid too,_  Jesse thought as he got his lunch. He didn’t like thinking about the night the Deadlock Gang was raided.

His old home was in the Southwest United States in a place near Route 66 lovingly called ‘Deadlock Gorge’ by the locals. His part of the gang lived in a shut down old diner called the Panorama Diner, which they’d repurposed over the years to suit their fifteen members. Jesse had joined when he was twelve years old. The gang had stumbled across him wandering down the highway after his most recent runaway. They’d planned on leaving him until one of the members mentioned that he wasn’t a ‘no-maj’. At the time he hadn’t understood the word or what it meant. Evidently, though, it meant something to the gang and they’d taken him in.

_“You’re going to like it with us, kid,” the boss said, smirking down at Jesse, “I know what you’ve been through. We all do.”_

_Jesse sat down on the small cot that had been set up for him in what had been the kitchen of the diner. There were thirteen cots in all in the kitchen, all closely packed together. The boss and his second stayed somewhere else, Jesse learned later, but everyone else, the rest of the_ family _stayed together._

_“There’s going to be a lot to learn, but just you wait, kid. You’re going to know what power is. Just follow the code and you’ll be fine.”_

_“What is the code?”_

_The boss regarded Jesse quietly for a moment before smirking, “You’ll learn that in a few days after your initiation. Tonight just get some sleep.”_

_Jesse smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Talon…for everything.”_

_The boss continued to grin, “’Course. Our kind has to stick together, right?”_

Jesse didn’t question what ‘our kind’ meant back then. Later, he’d assumed it meant something else. It wasn’t until Reyes came and explained to him what wizards were that he understood what Talon had meant all those years ago. It hadn’t been all bad, being part of the gang, except for…no. No he wouldn’t think about that day. That was worse than the night that the aurors and Reyes had come.

Thinking about the gang left him distracted as he went down to the dungeons for potions. He’d almost forgotten about his anxiety about his upcoming meeting with Professor Amari.

 

The potions classroom was well lit with dozens of candles and magical lights set into the walls, giving the entire room a warm glow. One wall was lined with jars, bags, and boxes filled with ingredients, while the opposite wall had dozens of books, some of which were spares of the required class text. The bookshelf itself was covered in photographs of the students, laughing and smiling with a woman that Jesse identified as Professor Amari. _Well, this doesn’t look too ominous…_ Jesse thought, picking a seat as usual towards the back.

The classroom filled up slowly as people sluggishly made their way in from lunch, some stuck in a food coma, others just taking a few minutes to have final conversations with their friends. Jesse thought he was going to have his table to himself until the older Shimada brother and Angela came to sit with him. Angela smiled as she settled down next to him, taking out her textbooks and ingredients.

“It’s good to see you, Jesse. I saw you at breakfast earlier. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come talk to you, but it looked like you were having a good conversation with Lena. Are you thinking about joining the quidditch team?”

“Hmpf, him joining the quidditch team? How predictable.” 

Jesse glared at the older Shimada. Angela gave him a cool look as well.

“If he wants to join the quidditch team, that’s his choice, Hanzo…or are you scared he’ll be better at it than you?”

“You’re on the quidditch team?” Jesse asked, “Wouldn’t take you for the type.”

“And what type is that?”

“Hanzo is a beater for the Ravenclaw team,” Angela cut in, “What position were you thinking about trying out for, Jesse?”

Jesse shrugged, “I wasn’t actually looking to try out. I’m busy enough as it is with things.”

“I’m not surprised,” Hanzo drawled, “You’ve got a lot to make up for, don’t you?”

Angela shook her head at Hanzo, “You’re in a mood today, aren’t you? Is it because he got that spell on his first try yesterday when it took you how long to learn it?”

Hanzo flushed and Jesse smirked, giving Angela a look of thanks.

The trio fell silent as a woman with blue robes and long, dark hair came striding into the classroom. She had a symbol painted over her eye that Jesse recognized, but couldn’t name. She carried herself in a way that made her appear taller and he noticed that in her left hand she had a bucket filled with…candy?

“Welcome back, students! First potions class of the year! Oh, why the sullen faces? We’re finally going to start working on the fun potions now.” That earned a few curious looks and murmurs. “Now. Who’s ready to learn how to make felix felicis?”


	4. Hanzo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse meets with Professor Amari. After his meeting, Hanzo confronts him about a secret.

Jesse walked up to Professor Amari’s desk at the end of class, waiting for everyone to dissipate. It hadn’t been a terrible class. Between Hanzo and Angela, he was able to at least keep his cauldron from melting. Angela had gone out of her way to assist him and for the most part Hanzo had remained quiet, which was helpful in its own way. Jesse’s potion had been a dismal failure, but Professor Amari hadn’t advertised it. She’d simply nodded at him and moved on. She hadn’t left in a disappointed sort of way either; she’d just acknowledged the work. He could appreciate that—no, more than appreciate. He was grateful for it. ‘ _If I’m lucky, she won’t tell Reyes about how bad it was…_ ’ Jesse had yet to see how failure was received by Reyes and frankly, he wasn’t keen to find out. He rubbed his hands together. No, he wasn’t going to find out what Reyes thought about failure because he wasn’t going to fail him.

“Thank you for waiting, Jesse.”

Jesse looked up, a little startled to hear her use his first name. She smirked, sitting down behind her desk and motioning for him to pull up a chair so he could sit as well. Once he’d done so, she settled back in her seat, her smile fading somewhat.

“So…I won’t put this lightly. Your situation is not easy to deal with. While we’ve taken precautions, we—I have to know that you’re going to take this as seriously as we do.”

Jesse hesitated, then took off his hat, running his fingers along the brim. “I understand the severity of it all, ma’am. Reyes…he explained it.”

Her eyes softened, “This has been a pretty big change for you, hasn’t it?”

Jesse nodded, still fidgeting with his hat, “I always knew it was a curse, but they made it sound like it was…I don’t know…something that made us special—family even. Didn’t know that it hurt people.”

 

_“How many people, Reyes?”_

_The question hung between them, stagnant in the humid air. He wasn’t used to the humidity, the way it clung to his skin and sat heavy in his lungs. It was too heavy._

_“Kid, you know you don’t want to know that answer.”_

_Jesse bit his lower lip. The river near the airport stank. Pollution choked it, but people still made their way down it, laughing in the summer’s heat. No one was paying attention to the young man sitting near the edge, dressed in a cowboy hat and jeans, or to the older man standing beside him, arms crossed as he watched the river._

_“Reyes. Please.”_

_“You are…were—a younger member. Thankfully that means they kept a closer eye on you. From what we can tell from the logs…two or three people. No more than that.”_

_“You ain’t lying, are you?”_

_Reyes looked down at Jesse, scowling, “Have I lied to you yet? I can show you the logs myself if you don’t believe me, but there’s a lot more shit in those logs that I don’t think you’re ready to see yet.”_

_“One day.”_

_“One day,” Reyes agreed, “But not today.”_

_Maybe it wasn’t the humidity he was feeling._

Professor Amari nodded. She didn’t say it wasn’t his fault. Again, he appreciated that because in the end, it was still his ledger. Professor Amari narrowed her eyes, studying him closely.

“You’ve never taken the wolfsbane potion, have you?”

Jesse sank a little deeper down into his seat, shaking his head. “No ma’am.”

Professor Amari stood up and came over to him. Jesse stared at her, eyes widening with uncertainty. She was still studying him and he felt small as she looked down at him. Jesse looked away from her, wishing he could just curse and leave the room. Suddenly she was wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. Jesse sat frozen, unsure of what to do.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Jesse. Things are going to be easier for now on. I promise.”

Her words were soft and calm, but he heard a touch of pain in them—no, not pain. Pity. He didn’t like to be pitied. He’d made his own bed and he’d lie in it, but this was something different. After a moment she pulled away, offering him a smile.

“The wolfsbane potion will help so you keep your mind when you change. It should also make the transformations moderately less painful. You have to take it every day leading up to your transformation.”

Jesse watched her go over to the cabinet on the far wall and pull out a bottle. She brought it over to the desk and uncorked it. As soon as it was uncorked, Jesse saw a faint blue smoke emitting from it and felt a brief hesitation.

“I’ve never tried it myself, but I’ve heard it isn’t the most pleasant potion.” She nodded to the bucket of candy on the desk, “You can have one of those after you take your potion though. That should help get rid of the after taste.”

“You called it ‘wolfsbane’…does that mean it actually has wolfsbane in it?”

Professor Amari smirked, “You’ve been reading your textbooks?”

He nodded, “Sort of.”

“While wolfsbane is poisonous, the potion alters the effects.” She regarded him for a moment. “Did you want me to get Reyes? I know you don’t really know me. If you’d rather have him give you the potions—“

“—I trust you.” And he did, as surprised as he was to say it.

Jesse reached for the potion and, after giving a mock toast, took a large gulp of it. He instantly regretted it. He’d never tasted anything so acrid and foul. He immediately made a face, shuddering.

“I said it wasn’t poisonous anymore. I didn’t say it didn’t taste poisonous.”

“No kidding,” Jesse said hoarsely, sloshing around what was left in the bottle. This was going to be the longest drink ever.

After he’d downed it, Ana took out a teapot from under her desk and started a pot with a magical Bunsen burner. Jesse grabbed a piece of candy in the meantime, popping it into his mouth. He couldn’t even taste the lemon drop.

“Reyes said there was something else you wanted to talk about?”

Professor Amari smiled, “Yes. Have you ever heard of the dueling club, Jesse?”

“No.”

“Well, I think it’s something you might be interested in. Professor Morrison is head of the dueling club, so you’ll have to speak with him if you’re interested. Essentially, it’s a club where you spar with other wizards using offensive and defensive magic. It’s regulated of course; Professor Morrison will go over which spells are allowed—“ She stopped, noticing the pallor of Jesse’s face. “Of course…this is something you can discuss with him after the full moon. The club doesn’t have its first meeting for a few weeks, so you have some time to decide. Think about it though. I think you’d be good at it.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jesse left the potions classroom with a handful of candy, but he couldn’t seem to get the bitter taste out of his mouth. He nearly ran into Hanzo as he hurried out of the dungeons, all too eager to try to get a mug of pumpkin juice or something. Hanzo gave him a strange look as he passed by, a scowl, but it didn’t look as judgmental or angry as usual. Jesse didn’t put too much thought into it.

Over the course of the week, Jesse returned to Professor Amari’s classroom every day around 3pm to take the potion. It wasn’t so bad once he got used to it, sort of like the whisky shots he used to take back with the gang. As the full moon drew closer, Jesse could start to feel the looming transformation. His bones ached and he felt distant, something that wasn’t missed by his professors and classmates. Angela noted that he wasn’t himself and offered to take him to the nurse to get a pepperup potion, which he declined, citing that he didn’t “trust magic to fix colds” as his defense. While Angela couldn’t understand his excuse (“magic isn’t something to be afraid of, especially when it comes to healing—it’s actually quite grounded in research”), Lena and Lucio (a Hufflepuff fourth year) stood up for him, saying how they’d been scared to take pepper up potions when they’d first come to Hogwarts too.

The night before the full moon, Jesse snuck up to the astronomy tower. He expected it to be empty as usual, but instead he found that someone else was already there, staring up at the stars.

Jesse frowned, creeping up the steps and peering through the darkness to try to see who it was. He half expected it to be Reyes (he hadn’t seen him since the last defense against the dark arts class, which was days ago), but instead he realized it was Hanzo. Jesse walked silently up the rest of the steps and stood behind him. Hanzo didn’t notice he was there until he cleared his throat and asked.

“What’re you doing up here? Aren’t you a prefect? You’d get in pretty big trouble, sneaking about after hours.”

Hanzo started and turned, looking up at Jesse with a glare, “I imagine I’m here for the same reason as you are—for a place away from everyone to think. It seems though that my spot has been compromised.”

“Don’t see why it has to be ‘yours’.” Jesse sat down next to Hanzo, “I’m sure we can share it.”

“I believe that defeats the purpose of ‘a place away from everyone’.”

Hanzo turned away from Jesse and looked back up at the moon. Jesse did the same. They were silent, which suited both of them just fine. Jesse’s mind was preoccupied. It would be his first transformation with the wolfsbane potion and away from the rest of the gang. In a way, he supposed they had been more of a pack than a gang. They’d transform together and run wild across the desert. He had very little memory of the transformations, but he knew that he enjoyed the feeling of freedom he had when he ran across the parched earth.

“How long have you been a werewolf, Jesse McCree?”

The question startled him. Jesse regarded Hanzo. He wasn’t even looking at Jesse—his eyes were still on the moon.

Jesse relaxed after a moment and drew his knees in close to his chest, turning his gaze back up to the sky as well.

“Since I was twelve.”

“Was it an accident?”

Jesse shook his head, “No. Not really.”

Silence. Then, “Was it your choice?”

Jesse said nothing. Hanzo let out a small hum and again, the two sat in silence.

The night air was cool, but not as cold as the night he’d sat outside with Reyes. It was slightly more overcast though, and the moon kept hiding behind clouds, the light peeking out every so often to illuminate the tower.

“Are you one too?” Jesse finally asked.

Hanzo laughed, startling Jesse. He didn’t think he’d ever heard the other boy laugh.

“No, I’m not a werewolf, although my father has been known to employ them.” His expression darkened. “They are not like you.”

“Meaning?”

“They would not have tried to spare a mouse recently granted life as you did.”

“It was just a book…”

“You didn’t act like it was.”

“Are you going to tell anyone?” Jesse asked, “About…what I am?”

Hanzo scoffed, “Of course not. You want to be run out of the school?”

Jesse sighed, “So you’re going to blackmail me?”

“What sort of person do you take me for?” There was a surprising amount of venom in his voice and Jesse realized he was no longer looking up at the moon.

“I dunno, just doesn’t seem like you like me much.”

“You lounge about and act as though you own the school, even though you barely know any first year magic. You get special treatment from professors for doing the bare minimum. You are correct: I don’t like you very much. But I will not put your life at risk over something you have no control over.”

Jesse stared at him, feeling defensive. He almost opened his mouth to say everything that had been on his mind since coming to Hogwarts: that he hadn’t asked for any of this, that he didn’t ask to be picked up from his old life and dropped into a new one. He didn’t ask to be a wizard and he missed the days when life had made sense, before Reyes had taken away his old family. He didn’t owe anything to any other professors here: they hadn’t fought for his respect yet. Instead, he asked,

“Do people really think people like me are monsters?”

Hanzo didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”


	5. A New Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse prepares for his first full moon at Hogwarts and Reyes recalls his first meeting with Jesse.

Jesse stared down at his breakfast, his stomach uncharacteristically sour. He’d specifically waited later than usual to go down to breakfast so he could slip into the Great Hall and hopefully sit alone (or at least around people who didn’t want to talk to him). He felt like he had a budding flu. His head felt muffled and the dull ache that permeated his body was distracting. The strangest part was how tired he felt, and yet jittery at the same time; on edge even. These were the signs and symptoms of the full moon and he hated them.

Picking at his porridge, which was about the only thing that didn’t turn his stomach, Jesse glanced up at the staff table. To his disappointment, Reyes wasn’t there. He had hoped he might be able to speak to him after breakfast. Officially it was to see if he could skip classes, but the reality was Jesse just wanted to talk to him about the plan for tonight. Professor Amari had covered it well enough, explaining that he would be taken off of the Hogwarts grounds for the protection of the other students, even though he was on the wolfsbane potion. “We don’t want to take any chances,” she’d justified, “It’s not that we don’t trust you, Jesse, and you should have your human mind unlike when you usually transform, but there are certain procedures the school board requires us to follow when it comes to werewolves.” She’d been kind about how she’d said it, but Jesse still couldn’t help but feel the weight of judgment—the knowledge of what he’d done in the past.

Jesse was startled from his thoughts as Hanzo sat down next to him. Jesse stared at him, tilting his head ever so slightly in confusion. He wasn’t the only one. It had started to become common knowledge over the past two weeks that Jesse and Hanzo were something like rivals, constantly snapping at each other or trying to prove their skill. He said nothing when he sat down. He simply picked up a piece of toast and the butter, utterly ignoring Jesse until Jesse asked,

“Umm…what’re you doing here?”

He knew they’d bonded a little last night, at least enough to get past their usual frostiness, but that hadn’t been an invitation to have a friendship…had it?

“Eating. I was going to sit with Genji, but I see that he has already gone.”

“So sit at your own table?”

Hanzo ignored him and started adding other items to his plate.

Jesse grumbled to himself and continued to fidget with his porridge rather than eating it.

“You should eat. You’ll feel worse _after_  if you don’t.” Hanzo cast Jesse a meaningful glance.

“I’ve been handling this for years,” Jesse muttered, glaring at Hanzo, “I know what I should and shouldn’t do.”

“Then eat.”

Jesse sighed and scooped up a spoonful of porridge. He almost immediately regretted it. It made his stomach churn and it was all he could do to swallow the bite he’d taken. Setting his spoon back down, he pushed the bowl aside and grabbed his bag.

“Jesse—“

He stood up and snapped, “I get what you’re trying to do Hanzo, but stop, alright? It’s not your damn business.”

Hanzo blinked in surprise before turning away, humming a note of annoyance. When he said nothing else, Jesse left, deciding that he didn’t care whether he had Reyes’ approval or not. He was skipping today. Going back up to Gryffindor tower and to the boys dormitory, he tossed his bag aside and jumped onto the bed, landing facedown in the covers. He’d have to be careful not to fall asleep, he realized. Professor Amari wouldn’t be pleased if he missed his scheduled potion time with her.

In spite of that thought, he still found himself being woken up much later by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He startled awake and threw himself from the bed, reaching for a gun that wasn’t at his hip. Reyes frowned, shaking his head.

“To be honest, I’m surprised I was even able to walk in here without you waking up. Normally you’re a light sleeper.”

Jesse swallowed hard and got to his feet again. “What do you want?”

If Reyes was at all bothered by his tone, he didn’t show it, “You forgot to meet up with Ana so I brought your potion up.”

“Oh…” He deflated a little, going back over to the bed and sitting down.

Reyes picked up the steaming blue goblet from the nightstand (“I thought it would be smart to set this down just in case you tried to attack me when you woke up”) and passed it over to him. Jesse downed it like he would a shot, shuddering as it went down.

“What time is it?”

“You’ve got about four hours before you need to head down. I think we should go down early though since this is your first time here.”

Jesse nodded, “Alright.”

“You ok, kid?” Reyes hesitated, as if unsure whether or not further physical contact would be permitted. In the end he dropped his hand, allowing the distance to build between them.

“It’s nothing new. Just because I’m not with the gang doesn’t mean that it’s any different than it was before and Professor Amari said it’ll be easier this time.”

“To a degree…” Reyes sighed and asked, “How aware are you usually of your transformations?”

“I don’t remember much about halfway through the shift. After that, it’s all…I don’t know how to describe it. Feelings isn’t the right word.” Jesse gestured vaguely, “Mr. Talon told me back when I had my first shift it was instinct I was feeling. Some of the other folks in the gang said it was ‘distilled life’. After shifting, it’s those distilled feelings and just flashes of memory. Places maybe, smells, sounds, the other wolves I met…”

There were other things he remembered. The taste of blood in his mouth, the cool night air, the elation of living off of those instincts and the feeling of having everything else fall away.

Reyes waited until he was sure that Jesse was done before speaking, “You’ll be aware of it all this time. It might be a little more intimidating, being in your own mind when you change, but I’ll be there until after you change, alright? You’ll be able to sleep off the transformation after that and then in the morning I’ll come back for you.”

“You don’t have to be there,” Jesse retorted a little louder than he’d intended, “I can handle it myself.”

“Kid, you’re my responsibility. I took you in and I brought you here. Of course, I’m going to be with you tonight.”

Reyes’s tone surprised Jesse. It lacked its usually snarky edge. It was softer, more worn and it didn’t have the biting anger he’d expected for snapping at him. It didn’t make Jesse feel any better though. He sniffed and looked away.

“Well come back in a few hours then to take care of that responsibility. I just want to be alone.”

 

* * *

 

Gabriel Reyes ran a hand over his short hair, watching the class as they paired off to work on the day’s task. His heart wasn’t in the class today and it was obvious. Normally he got involved with all of the groups, checking their pronunciation and wand work while occasionally messing with them to keep them on their toes. Today, however, he remained at his desk, watching almost apathetically while his mind was a mile away.

It was one thing to read about werewolves or to even hear accounts about them from other aurors or Ana, but to actually see the effects firsthand…he just hadn’t expected the change to take effect even before the moon rose. Jesse had seemed like a completely different kid today. Jesse had looked utterly exhausted and years older than usual; a sickly pallor draining his face even in sleep. It hadn’t looked like a peaceful sleep either. When Gabriel had walked into the dorm, Jesse had been muttering in his sleep, twitching in some nightmare. He hadn’t been at all that surprised when Jesse had practically thrown himself from the bed after he’d woken up. Hell, he’d half expected the kid to slug him.

It wasn’t just the physically changes though that bothered him. He knew that once the full moon had passed, Jesse would look as he usually did. It was his behavior that bothered Gabriel. Jesse had never snapped at him like that. Normally he was snarky, sure, and could be a little abrasive, but he generally seemed like a good kid. He’d seen something in Jesse’s eyes too that he hadn’t seen since the night he’d been picked up from the Deadlock Gang.

 

 _Reyes crept through the diner, his wand at the ready as his eyes scanned the dark. They’d already cleared out most of the gang in this location—there had been others hideouts in other parts of the country, smaller ones, but this was the last one and rumored to be the most dangerous. Reports indicated that the Deadlock Gang located out on southwest Route 66 were responsible for orchestrating multiple attacks on muggleborns and his intelligence had confirmed an alarming rumor only days ago—a rumor which had led to the emergency gathering of the Blackwatch strike team. Not only did this particular company of the Deadlock Gang harbor three of the top most wanted wizards in the United States,_ but they were also werewolves _. The Magical Congress of the United States of America had noticed a recent rise in the number of wizards (particularly muggleborns) who were either killed by or turned into werewolves in recent years. It was an alarming trend that finally had an answer: The Deadlock Gang._

_Reyes glanced over at Ana motioning for her to wait. They had to be doubly careful from this point on, now that they’d cleared out ‘the pups’ as his boss now jokingly called the lower ranked Deadlock members. ‘Pups’ wasn’t the best term for it, Reyes reflected somberly as he tread warily over the bloody floor. Three aurors down, one critically injured, and six wounded, not to mention how many of the Deadlock Gang were now dead. There were still a few who’d managed to slip further into the diner according to the other agents. “One of them’s a devil. Didn’t have a wand at all—just some stupid old fashion revolver. Didn’t kill anyone, but if we hadn’t had a shield spell we’d be dead. Watch out for him.” “He did wandless magic, I swear!” "I reckon it's that one member we were warned about--McCree." “We hit him with six stunners. Didn’t go down. He’s a monster.” “Careful, Reyes—he’s got a hostage.”_

_Reyes pivoted when he heard a small, muffled crying from the freezer. Taking slow, deliberate steps, cautiously treading around the shattered glass on the ground, he walked to the freezer and gave Ana the signal to open the door. Reyes immediately prepared himself to use the killing curse, not knowing what he was going to find. As soon as she waved her wand and the door swung open, Reyes stepped forward, wand over his head, ready—_

_He stopped._

_Staring him down with calm, deadeyes was a boy._

_Reyes had never seen eyes like those in a face that young. They were calculated and cool, even as the boy’s face twisted with determination. His clothes were covered in blood and the way he held himself suggested that he was worse for the wear, but he didn’t waver as he held his revolver aloft, level with Reyes’s head._

_If the boy was unafraid though, then where had he heard the crying? Reyes noticed that behind the boy there was another kid who was maybe a few years younger. She crouched behind him, but not in the way Reyes expected a hostage to. If anything, it reminded Reyes of a child hiding behind a parent._

_The boy couldn’t have been older than sixteen. He was a lanky kid, scrawny even if his baggy clothes were anything to go off of, with roughly cut shoulder length brown hair. Reyes couldn’t take his eyes off of the kid’s. Even from beneath the shadow of his hat Reyes could see the focus and lack of fear in his gaze._

_“You got ‘til I get to one to leave,” the boy said, “Five. Four—“_

_Reyes hesitated, but before the boy could even get to three, there was a flash of light from behind Reyes, slamming directly into the boy’s chest. Even as the boy doubled over, he kept his gun up and fired off a shot. If Reyes hadn’t been ready, the bullet would have killed him. As it was, he managed to bark out a shielding spell, causing the bullet’s velocity to be absorbed. The bullet clattered to the ground, useless. The boy however, didn’t go down. He remained standing, keeping himself between Reyes and the younger one._

_“What the hell are you people?” he gasped, clutching his chest with his free hand, “What are you?!”_

_“Kid, you need to—“_

_“I asked you a fucking question!” he shouted, “We ain’t done nothing wrong ‘cept stole a bit then you assholes come in here and start shooting up the place!”_

_That gave Reyes a pause. The kid thought they were being busted…for theft? Was Reyes’s intel about the Deadlock Gang wrong? He’d been told that this particular branch consisted of powerful rogue wizards and werewolves who were the playbook writers for Mr. Talon. This was supposed to be the main headquarters! But the two “members” standing before him were just kids! ‘A kid who apparently managed to stall six aurors with just a muggle revolver…’ he thought._

_There was another flash as the boy was hit with a second stunner. Just how many spells had he been hit with now besides the two from Ana? How was he even still standing?_

_Reyes slowly lowered his wand, “Put the gun down…let’s talk.”_

_To his surprise, the boy laughed at him, “Put the gun down? It's empty you idiot! What sort of shitty cop are you?”_

_To demonstrate he pulled the trigger and there was a definitive click. He didn’t put the gun down though and Reyes had the distinct feeling that for him, the gun was far more than just a weapon._

_“I ain’t talking to you and I ain’t surrendering. Back off before you regret it.”_

_Reyes held out his hand to Ana, signaling for her to wait, “Regret it? You’re out of bullets. Kid, think about your situation. Your friends are either dead or being carted off to Azkaban. You’re young though, got a long life still—“_

_“You trying to ask me to turn on my family? Fuck off! You won’t hurt me or anyone else in my family again!”_

_Again? The way he said it, Reyes didn’t think he was talking about the current operation._

_He took a step forward, “Kid—“_

_“I said fuck off!” Jesse shouted and suddenly Reyes found himself being thrown backward._

_There was a barrage of flashing lights and as Reyes hit the ground, sliding across the floor, he heard a thud from the freezer; followed by a “no!” from a voice he hadn’t heard yet—the little girl he assumed._

_Sitting up with a groan, Reyes saw the boy was finally down, lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. His hand still clutched the revolver in a deathgrip. The girl, seeing Reyes move, immediately threw herself on top of the boy, hiding her face in the boy’s back._

_“Are you alright, Gabriel?” Ana asked, “That spell…did he have a wand all along?”_

_Reyes shook his head, allowing Ana to help him to his feet, “That wasn’t a planned spell.”_

_“I doubt that. He’s at least sixteen and the amount of power from that blast…”_

_“No, that wasn’t a planned spell. I didn’t hear an incantation. Ana…I think this case is a lot worse than we first thought.”_

_“No kidding.” She put her wand away and walked into the freezer, kneeling down beside the two children. Addressing the girl she said, “Please move. I need to make sure he’s still alive.”_

_It was a bit of a fight, but Ana was able to disengage the girl. Putting two fingers to the downed boy’s neck, she paused, then looked back to Reyes._

_“He needs medical care sooner rather than later, but I think he’ll live.”_

_Reyes came into the freezer and knelt down beside Ana to get a closer look at the boy. That was when he noticed something clutched in his other hand, the one he’d been holding to his chest after the first stunner spell from Ana had hit him._

_“Son a bitch…look at that. He had a flash grenade with him the whole time.”_

_Reyes took the flash grenade away, turning it over in his hand while shaking his head._

_“He could have used it to escape.”_

_“But he didn’t.” Reyes looked down at the boy, pushing a bit of hair away from his face, “Who are you, kid?”_

_“His name is Jesse,” The girl finally spoke up, realizing it seemed that Reyes and Ana weren’t here to hurt them. “Jesse McCree. He’s one of the higher ups, but he didn’t act like it.”_

_Ana suddenly turned her attention to the girl, frowning slightly, “What is your name?”_

_“My name is Amélie, madam.”_

_Reyes and Ana exchanged glances. There had been reports about a young teen named Amélie had been kidnapped with her friend Gérard Lacroix. They were both the children of aurors from France who had been looking into Mr. Talon’s operations in Europe._

_“How did you get here, Amélie?” Ana asked quietly as she returned to tending to the boy, Jesse._

_“Some men took me and Gérard…” her voice trailed off, breaking for a moment, “We were walking home from the dance studio and they used a spell so we couldn’t move, then…I don’t remember. I woke up here with Jesse a few weeks ago.”_

_“And Jesse held you captive?”_

_Amélie shook her head adamantly, “He looked out for me. He tried to help me escape…but we got caught. You’re not going to send him to Azkaban, are you? He isn’t like the others! Please don’t send him there.”_

_Reyes looked back down at Jesse. Letting out a heavy sigh, Reyes knelt down and picked him up, holding him carefully in his arms._

_“We won’t, Amélie.”_

 

* * *

Jesse followed Reyes across the grounds, warily eyeing the sun’s slow decent across the horizon. Even though Reyes had explained how the tree worked, Jesse still felt like it was a convoluted plan to stick him away in some old boarded up house off the grounds. Why not just lock him in one of the rooms in the castle? There were enough empty ones.

He felt bad for snapping earlier at Reyes, but couldn’t quite bring an apology to life. Reyes, for his part, didn’t seem overly offended or upset, which almost made things worse. Jesse wanted him to snap back, to scold him at the very least, but instead, he’d given Jesse space and quiet, two things he would have never received back with the Gang after an outburst.

They were nearly to the tree when suddenly a silvery figure came bounding towards them, stopping in front of Reyes. It took Jesse a moment to realize that it was a large, ghostly looking hound that glowed with a strange, unearthly light. Even more startling was when Professor Morrison’s voice came from it.

“Gabe, you need to get back to the castle and to the Ministry. There’s been a breakout from Azkaban.” He spoke hastily and Jesse could practically hear the alarm in his voice, “They don’t know how bad it is yet, but they’re demanding Blackwatch.”

As the shimmering hound faded, Jesse looked to Reyes. Some of the color had drained from Reyes’s face and there was a grim twist to his mouth. He looked down at Jesse, letting out a heavy sigh,

“I’m sorry, but I have to go Jesse. I can show you how to stun the tree, but I can’t stay during your transformation.”

“It’s fine,” Jesse said, already starting to walk towards the willow, “I already know how. Use leviosa or whatever, hit the knot near the base. I can handle it myself.”

“Jesse—“ Reyes began before stopping himself. He hesitated, looking back towards the castle briefly before turning to Jesse again. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright? I can ask Jack to come down if you want, or even Professor Reinhardt.”

Jesse stopped. He took a deep breath, crossing his arms. He refused to look back at Reyes. “That thing said there was a breakout at Azkaban, right? That place where they sent the gang? It’s your job to make sure they’re taken care of so do it.”

“Jesse, are you sure?”

“Just go, Reyes!” He finally turned, glaring at Reyes, “I’m fine! I’ve handled this on my own for years before you guys got involved! Go do your job!”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Jesse finally broke eye contact and started to head for the whomping willow again. He didn’t turn back to see if Reyes was leaving until he got to the tree. Looking back, he saw the dim shadow of Reyes heading back to the castle at a run. Jesse shook his head and returned his attention to the situation at hand. There was no point worrying about what he couldn’t control and it wasn’t like Reyes owed him anything. Reyes wasn’t his father. Jesse could handle this himself. He always did.

He began to take out his wand, then stopped and instead stooped down, picking up a small rock before moving closer to the tree. He’d seen the whomping willow a few times since he’d come to Hogwarts, mostly from a safe distance. Angela said it had been planted years ago, back in the 70s, but no one really knew why. Jesse did though. It was planted to cover a passage for other ‘monsters’ like him in the past. It wasn’t the tree's fault that it was associated with something like that. It might have looked uninviting and mean, but Jesse supposed any plant would be that way if it was sentient. It was actually a fairly handsome tree and Jesse could tell that it had taken a lot of care over the years to tame it. He almost felt bad for what he was about to do.

As soon as he was within range of the tree so he could see the roots, he saw the knot that Ana had mentioned. He tested the rock in his hand, then took aim and threw it at the knot. It hit with a small thump and the tree immediately stiffened, unaware of what had hit it. Jesse rushed over to the opening that was just barely visible between the roots. It was small, definitely not something a student running away from the normally punching branches would notice. Jesse slid down the slope at the opening and found a tunnel, large enough for him to walk through while stooped over. He did take out his wand then, lighting it with a new spell he’d picked up (lumos).

He lost track of how long it took him to get to the end of the tunnel. It began to rise at one point though, and he gaged that he was getting close, and soon enough he emerged into what was unmistakably a room just as the last of the sunlight disappeared through the cracks in the boarded up windows.

Jesse took stock of the room. It was almost completely empty except for some very old, very broken chairs. The walls were covered with scratches that Jesse was all too familiar with. Settling down in a dusty corner, he sat with his knees drawn up to his chest and waited.

“I’m fine,” he said aloud to himself, “I’ve done this before and Reyes is going to take care of the people who escaped. I’m fine.”

He kept repeating the words ‘I’m fine’, but each time he said them they became fainter and his throat became tighter until he found he couldn’t speak at all anymore. He buried his face in his knees, feeling tears starting to well in his eyes.

He wasn’t fine. As much as he’d snapped today, as many times as he’d said he could handle his transformation over the week to anyone who asked or knew about it, the truth was he was terrified, but he’d thought that everything would be fine since Reyes would be there. Since Reyes had come into his life, things had been getting better and he’d started to learn that life with the Gang hadn’t been as good as he’d thought it was. He was ‘recovering’ as Reyes put it. But Reyes wasn’t here tonight. It didn’t matter that Jesse knew that Reyes had to leave for the greater good. He had to take care of the people escaping from Azkaban, especially if they were former Deadlock Gang members. Even so, the thought of being alone…truly alone…

He’d never been alone when he’d transformed.

The hair on the back of his neck and arms stood on end. Jesse looked up, tear-streaked face illuminated in the gathering moonlight, and felt the change begin.


	6. Unexpected Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Reyes gone, Jesse prepares to face his first transformation at school alone, until an unexpected ally joins him.

Normally his mind went about halfway through the transformation. He always felt the initial jump—the way his heart skipped and forgot rhythm. That was the start and the most disconcerting portion. Jesse held his chest, squeezing his eyes shut as the next part came. His bones started to shift and he gasped as they began to burn like molten lead. This was where the beast would take over, where his human mind would fall back into the recesses of his mind and the “distilled life” would take over. The wolfsbane potion held his mind and for the first time, he was truly aware of the full horror and pain of his body’s change. ‘ _Professor Amari said that the potion would help with the pain’,_ he thought dimly, ‘ _Just how much does this normally hurt?’_ He wasn’t sure how long the shift took. Had it been mere seconds since it had started? Minutes? Time was a distant concept compared to the immediate, disturbing reality.

He fell forward onto the floor, gasping as his joints cracked to accommodate the changes. At some point his skin had begun to prickle and itch as fur started to sprout along his limbs. Distantly he thought he heard footsteps and he opened his eyes, looking towards the sound. A blurry shadow paused at the exit of the tunnel before running over to him, kneeling down beside him without hesitation. Suddenly a hand was on his back, gentle, yet resolute.

“Reyes?” he managed before his jaw started to change. 

Jesse curled into a ball, a sudden panicked thought running through his mind. What if the wolfsbane potion only delayed the effects for a short time? What if that was why they still wanted him in this isolated house away from home? He thought about what Reyes had told him, the truth about his runs through the desert on the full moon. _“You bit people when you changed, Jesse. You couldn’t control yourself because of the moon, but it still happened.”_ Reyes had never told him what had happened to the people he bit. Had they survived their injuries, or had they been hapless muggles, doomed to die from the bite? What if he still lost his mind and attacked whomever was here with him too, adding to his ledger?

…but the hand was still there, warm and unwavering.

As rapidly as everything had begun, it stopped, and he found himself shaking on the ground in his Other body. For a while, he stayed where he was, mentally and physically recovering.

“Jesse? Are you…you?”

That voice! Jesse forced himself to look towards the figure who’d come in during the transformation. Hanzo sat beside him, his face pale and eyes wide. Jesse tried to answer, but the only sound that came from him was a soft whine, a noise that would make no sense to anyone who wasn’t…well, a wolf.

“I’ll take that as a yes. It’s all right; you don’t have to move yet. Get your bearings again.”

Jesse wanted to ask so many questions, primarily ‘what are you doing here?!’, but obviously, there was only so much he could communicate at the moment. He got shakily to his feet. This was always so natural to him. He felt ungainly this time though; his legs and paws seemed unsure of where to go or how to move as he struggled to find his footing.

“You’re thinking too much,” Hanzo commented, “Just do. If you are ready to stand, stand.”

Jesse huffed at him, giving him a look that plainly meant, ‘Easy for you to say, Yoda’.

“I thought you said you were used to this?”

Jesse growled lightly. Hanzo wasn’t fazed. He arched an eyebrow at Jesse, shaking his head before he got to his feet and started to walk away.

‘No!’ Jesse wanted to shout, but again, it only came out as a high whine.

“I’m not leaving, don’t worry. I’m just looking for a chair or something. It’s going to be a long night.”

Jesse huffed and awkwardly started to search around the room for something for Hanzo to sit on. It was strange to be fully conscious in his form. He was aware of the hyper reality that normally came with the transformation in a way that was almost overwhelming to his human-mind. He could smell the musky mildew of the rotted wood, the petrichor of the earth from the tunnel, and the fear-sweat that came from Hanzo. _He acts unafraid, but he can’t hide all of it…_ Jesse thought, watching Hanzo head upstairs. Jesse followed hesitantly after him, unsure of the steps.

Upstairs they found an old bedroom with a bed which Hanzo sat down on. Jesse sat a short distance away, uncertain.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Hanzo said simply, waving to the bed, “Come on.”

Still, Jesse hesitated. Hanzo sighed and got off the bed, walking over to Jesse and crouching down so he was eye-level.

“You’re a giant wolf. So what? You’ve taken wolfsbane. You aren’t going to hurt me; so come on. I’m not scared of you. I told you before my father hires werewolves.”

Hanzo stood up again and went over to the bed, waiting. Tail (unintentionally) between his legs, Jesse went forward, waiting at the foot of the bed before finally jumping up.

“See? It’s fine.”

Jesse curled up, trying to take up as little space as possible. He wasn’t quite sure what to do. He was used to…well, letting instinct take over. Running. He wanted to run. He didn’t like being confined to this dusty, locked old house. He found he couldn’t sit still and constantly kept standing again on the bed, spinning about and resettling to try to get comfortable. Hanzo let out an irritated hum after the fifth time he stood up and glared at him.

“I get it, you want to go out. There are rules though, Jesse. Now sit down or…I don’t know!” he frowned, “I should have brought my homework.”

Jesse snorted and hopped off of the bed.

“Now where are you going?”

Continuing out of the room, Jesse started to roam the house. There was no way he was going to sit around for hours doing nothing. That was boring. Hanzo followed somewhat reluctantly after him as Jesse explored the house. Together, they discovered that the abandoned shack was surprisingly roomy, no doubt thanks to magic. There were two bedrooms total, a washroom, a kitchen still stock with pans and plates, and of course the living room where the tunnel entrance was. While the house wasn’t exactly small, it didn’t take long for them to finish looking around and they were soon bored again. In the end, they settled back onto the bed (after a bit of pointed insistence from Hanzo).

“I heard a rumor—not around the school, don’t worry—that you were a member of a gang. My father mentioned it in his last letter to me.”

Jesse looked over, startled. Hanzo pressed on, looking down at his hands.

“My family is…we have a reputation. The only reason my brother and I went to Hogwarts was because my mother insisted we would be safer here. It’s been good for Genji. Our home life never really suited him. He just wants to play quidditch—doesn’t care about the family business.”

_‘And you? Do you like it here? What was so bad about your home? I would have given anything for a home…’_

“The gang you were part of was in America, right? And Professor Reyes helped to break it up?”

Jesse nodded, his tail flicking slightly with irritation at the mention of Reyes, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed.

“Why wasn’t Professor Reyes here tonight? It’s no secret that he cares about you. I used to think he played favorites until I realized how many remedial classes you had.”

Jesse huffed. How did Hanzo expect him to explain why Reyes had been forced to leave? It was one thing to pantomime when he had hands, but he literally couldn’t do anything to express himself beyond what the average hound could do. Sensing his disquiet, Hanzo shrugged.

“You’ll have to tell me once you change back then. I’m sure it’s a good reason, even if you’re not happy about it.” He paused. “You seem calmer now than you were earlier—and I don’t just mean from when you first changed.”

Hanzo fell silent. He watched the sky through a gap in the boarded up window, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Hesitantly, Jesse moved forward just a little bit and nudged Hanzo’s hand with his nose. He looked down at Jesse, startled, before laughing.

“I’ve heard of ‘puppy eyes’, but this is ridiculous.”

Jesse moved so he was pressed against Hanzo’s side. Hanzo was right; he did feel calmer. It wasn’t the same as running with the pack, but there was something to be said about just being in his wolf form and being with something he felt he could (surprisingly) trust.

 

* * *

 

At some point, the two fell asleep, curled up on the bed. Jesse was the first to wake, startling from sleep as he felt a searing hot pain run through him. Yelping, he coiled into a ball just as Hanzo woke. As before, the other immediately put a hand on his back, reassuring him. Jesse had no recollection of changing back in the past. Normally he just woke up again hours later with the rest of the pack. He wasn’t sure at this point which was worse: the change into a wolf or the return to human form.

Eventually he the change ceased and he lay naked on the bed in his human form, still curled up and shaking. A wave of exhaustion hit him and it was all he could do to keep from passing out. _Makes sense…lot of energy to change I bet…just never realized before_. Hanzo stayed with him until his shaking had stopped; taking off his own cloak and putting it over Jesse like a blanket.

“You ok?”

“Getting there…tired. Jus’ tired.” Jesse managed, his voice surprisingly raw.

“I have to leave soon. The professors will be coming to get you and if they catch me…”

“Hanzo? Why’d you come?”

Hanzo stared at him, confusion in his eyes. Shaking his head, he stood up, taking his cloak with him.

“I didn’t want you to be alone. That’s all.”

Jesse wanted to ask more, but he felt himself being drawn back, sleep snatching his consciousness away. The last thing he saw was Hanzo setting Jesse’s wand down on the bed before heading for the door.

* * *

 

When Jesse woke again he was in a place he didn’t recognize, but he gathered fairly quickly that it was the hospital wing. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Jesse noticed Reyes sleeping in a chair set up next to the bed.

“Long night?” Jesse asked with a smirk, sitting up.

Reyes opened one eye lazily, “Only resting my eyes. How was your night?”

Jesse yawned, stretching, “It could have been worse. I don’t see why y’all won’t let me run around the forest, but…it was tolerable.”

 _Not that you’ll know why,_ he thought.

“You know why we can’t let you. Still, I’m glad it wasn’t too bad. The transformation went smoothly? You kept your mind?”

Jesse nodded, “What mind I have, yeah.”

“Seems like you're feeling better,” Reyes chuckled, “It’s good to see you feeling better. I was starting to think you didn’t like it here.”

Reyes wasn’t wrong to a degree. The week leading up to his change always put him on edge and frankly it had made him think that maybe Hogwarts wasn’t a place for him. He was constantly proving himself and spent most of his time feeling foolish when he didn’t know spells (even if he learned them quickly enough). But that was how it was anywhere new, right?

“Jesse…there’s something you need to know.”

The exhaustion in Reyes’s face was back. Jesse frowned, a knot starting to form in his stomach. He already knew what this was about.

“The Deadlock Gang escaped. The guy we thought was Mr. Talon? He was a fake. The real one orchestrated the breakout.”

Jesse shivered, “Any ideas where they escaped to?”

“None…it’s like they disappeared. Even the werewolves from your division of the gang somehow managed to vanish without leaving a trail.” Reyes sighed, “I think this was their plan all along. Get folks on the inside of the prison to help stage a breakout of their top members.”

Reyes looked over at Jesse, putting his hand on his shoulder, “But that’s not for you to worry about. You’re safe, all right? They’re not going to take you back.”

“Why would they want me back? I failed and betrayed them.”

“You also were one of the sharpest minds they had and a damn good—you’ll excuse the phrasing, but ‘attack dog’ even out of your other form. Even if they don’t want you back, they won’t want a loose end. But as I said, you’re safe here.”

Jesse reached over to the bedside table, picking up his hat and setting it onto his head. “I ain’t afraid. Don’t worry, Reyes. I’m fine. Just catch those bastards.”


	7. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse is forced to confront parts of his past.

Jesse was forced to stay until the following day in the hospital wing, despite his protests that he felt fine. It wasn’t a lie; he felt a lot better than he had over the past week leading up to the full moon. Professor Morrison was adamant though—he was to stay at least twenty-four hours to be sure that he had completely recovered. It wouldn’t have been quite so annoying if he had been left alone. At least then he could have practiced and done his homework in private. But no. He’d been forced to endure hourly visits from Professor Morrison.

“Jesse, sit still. This will only take a second.”

He tried too, but he could practically feel the spell wrapping over him, checking him for who knew what. He fidgeted, tapping his hat on his lap.

“You done?”

Professor Morrison sighed, “Mr. McCree, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong is I don’t want to be here—I’m fine, so let me out. I’m not stupid, I know the real reason you’re keeping me here.”

“Oh?” Professor Morrison lowered his wand, arching his eyebrow, “And what reason is that?”

Jesse slapped his hat onto his head, “Well, Reyes had to leave again and since Professor Amari hasn’t come and she was the one who brewed the potion—I’m going to guess they’re both off trying to find the rest of the gang and Reyes said that they still want me so…”

Professor Morrison actually laughed, surprising Jesse, “You think you’re on house arrest for your protection? Kid, did you ever consider that we actually just want to make sure that you’re healthy?”

“Well…I…” he looked down, glad the brim of his hat hid his face a little (he was sure his cheeks were red).

Professor Morrison came over and sat beside him on the bed, “You don’t like me much, do you, McCree?”

His lack of an answer seemed to be answer enough.

“I won’t lie to you: I don’t like having you around here. All we know about you is what you told Reyes—“

“—after being drugged with some truth potion.” Jesse cut in, “Look, I get it. You think I’m like the other gang members and that I’m just playing along until I get my break. Think what you want. I don’t give a fuck.”

Jesse got to his feet.

“That’s not it, McCree—”

“Then what is it, ‘cause last I checked, you’ve being just as much of an asshole as I have.”

He felt a small twinge of pride when he saw Professor Morrison’s jaw working as he fought to maintain his composure. He’d hit a nerve. Good. He’d seen the way that Professor Morrison watched him all of the time, just waiting for him to snap. If he wanted to think the worst of Jesse then fine—he’d be what Professor Morrison expected.

“McCree, we’re—I’m trying. I know this is a new situation for you and after what happened, it’s going to take some time to adjust, but if we’re going to trust you, you need to trust us.”

Jesse remained where he was, waiting. Professor Morrison clasped his hands in front of him, meeting Jesse’s eyes.

“Gabe never told me what happened to you or how you ended up with the gang.”

Jesse’s eyebrows went up, “He didn’t?”

“He said it wasn’t his story to tell. Does that give you an idea of why I might not completely trust you yet?”

Jesse looked down, “Maybe you should trust your boyfriend’s opinion.”

Silence. Jesse wondered briefly if he’d assumed wrong about the two. When Professor Morrison got to his feet, Jesse shifted his stance ever so slightly, ready to take a punch. As soon as Professor Morrison took a step forward, there was a loud shattering sound and Jesse turned, startled, to see the windows shattering, tiny fragmented shards of mosaics scattering to the ground. He stared at the glass and empty window panes in horror, then back to Professor Morrison.

“I—I didn’t mean to. It just happened.”

He couldn’t read Professor Morrison’s expression; was he angry? Jesse felt his heart thundering in his chest and before he could wait to find out, he ran out of the hospital wing. His bare feet slapping against the cool flagstone floors, he sprinted down the hallway, searching for a familiar sight. He didn’t know the halls near the hospital wing as well (he’d avoided that place while searching for hidden passages), but he did eventually find a broom cupboard that he was able to quickly dip into.

Sliding to the floor he took deep, steady breaths. He was shaking. Jesse hugged himself, digging his nails into his arms until he was able to steady himself. His calm was soon interrupted though when there was a knock on the door, which opened a moment later.

“Mr. McCree?”

Professor Morrison looked down at him with surprise before crouching down in front of him.

“I’ll pay for the damage—or learn the spell or whatever to fix it. Just don’t tell Reyes. It was an accident, I swear!”

“Mr. McCree—Jesse…I’m not mad. I know it was an accident. Look, come on out and back to the hospital wing?” When Jesse hesitated he added in a soft voice, “I’m going to show you how to fix the windows. Come on.”

Professor Morrison stood up, offering his hand out to Jesse. Tentatively, he took it, allowing the professor to help him to his feet and lead him back to the hospital wing.

“It’s pretty common for young witches and wizards to have magical outbursts like this,” Professor Morrison explained, “I guess since you never had training its just taking you longer to get control. Did this sort of thing happen a lot when you were…in America?”

Jesse shrugged, looking down at the pools of glass, “I guess? A lot of odd things happened around me. I usually just ignored it. It’s one thing to turn into a wolf once a month and another to accept all of this.”

Professor Morrison went over to the nightstand and picked up Jesse’s wand, bringing it over to him, “I felt the same way when I found out I was a wizard. It’s confusing.”

“Found out?” Jesse asked, taking the wand, “You mean you’re not from a wizarding family?”

Professor Morrison smirked, “Oh no, my father was a wizard, but he walked out before I was born and never told my mother about his unique skills. It was a shock for both of us when the old head master came to our house and explained it all. I threw a pretty nasty fit that my mother has never let me forget.”

Jesse raised an eyebrow, “But why?”

“You tell me,” Professor Morrison replied casually before changing the subject, “Now, have you learned any repair spells yet?”

When Jesse said nothing, Professor Morrison took out his own wand and flicked it, aiming towards one of the shattered windows, “Reparo!”

Almost immediately the glass seemed to move in reverse, falling back into place while the cracks mended until there was no evidence of the previous damage. Professor Morrison waved a hand towards the next window, looking at Jesse expectantly. Jesse approached it, rolling his wand in his hand while he considered the spell before raising his wand and mimicking Professor Morrison’s earlier movement.

“Reparo!”

As before, the glass shuffled backward and into place, settling into the window frame. Jesse looked over at the last window and repeated the spell, getting the same result.

“Well done. You catch on fast.”

“I’ve gotta,” Jesse replied quietly, putting his wand away, “It’s expected so…”

Professor Morrison measured his words, “I see. You’re a bit of a perfectionist then, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Professor Amari seemed to think highly of your spell work as well, or at least better of your spell work than your potions prowess. Did she mention the dueling club at all to you?”

Jesse crossed his arms, “She did. I’m not really interested in extra stuff though. I’ve got enough to do with my remedial lessons let alone joining some club.”

“How about this—if you join the dueling club, you can skip out on Professor Reyes’s remedial lessons.”

Jesse smirked, “Are you allowed to make that decision?”

“Who knows, but I think he’d agree that you’d do better with practical learning over the usual classroom curriculum.”

Jesse sighed, “I guess I’ll consider it—only ‘cause it’s really annoying trying to sit in a classroom for so long, even if it’s a magical one.”

To his surprise, Professor Morrison smiled, “I’ll bring it up with Professor Reyes then. Now then, I’d say you’re ready to head back to the dormitory. Don’t do anything too extraneous though for a day or two.”

Jesse lit up, “I can get out of here? Finally!” He practically ran over to the bedside table, grabbing his things. He paused though after he’d gathered everything up into his arms and asked, “Are you a doctor or druid or whatever you wizards call healers?”

“I helped to heal aurors in the field. I always had a knack for it, but I didn’t want to be a healer.”

“What did you want to be?”

Professor Morrison grinned, “A dueling champion. I never could beat Professor Amari though back when we were students here and I decided to pursue other goals. Now go on, I gave you permission to head out. If you are interested in the club though, our first meeting is Tuesday after dinner.”

Jesse nodded before heading out of the hospital wing and towards Gryffindor tower. Most of the other students appeared to be outside (he overheard a Hufflepuff saying that it was a great day out), but when Jesse arrived up the portrait entrance to Gryffindor tower he was surprised to see Hanzo sitting next to it, a book on his knee. It took Hanzo a moment to realize that Jesse was there, but as soon as he looked up and acknowledged him he shut his book with a smack.

“Good to see you’re finally up and about. Professor Morrison kept saying you were ill to anyone who asked.”

“I’m fine,” Jesse mumbled, “They just wanted to be sure…first time having –that- here and all.”

Hanzo nodded, “That’s reasonable.”

“What are you doing out here? Please tell me you weren’t just sitting around waiting for me?”

Hanzo hummed a note, “Not quite. I was actually waiting for Genji, but he takes forever to do his hair.”

Jesse went over and sat beside Hanzo, arching an eyebrow at him, “So…I’ve got a few questions for you.”

“Not as many as I probably have for you,” Hanzo retorted, but nevertheless remained silent, waiting for Jesse.

“Why did you join me that night?” Jesse lowered his voice, checking that no one was around, “What if the potion hadn’t worked and I’d bitten you?”

“Then I imagine you would have been kicked out of the school and my father would have hunted you down.”

“You’re avoiding the question,” Jesse grumbled, “Come on, seriously—what gives? Not that I don’t appreciate it.”

“You don’t remember what I told you that night?”

“I do…barely. It gets foggy post-change. You said you didn’t want me to be alone, but why?” Jesse looked down at his boots, waiting for Hanzo to say something, but the other boy remained silent. “Folks don’t make sense around here. They all want to help me and do things for me, even though I haven’t worked for it.”

“Why should you have to work for a friend to help you during a hard time?” Hanzo frowned, looking over at Jesse, “As I told you the other night, you may be arrogant, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a hand.”

Jesse worried his lower lip, “But I’m not…I don’t deserve that, not after what I used to do for the gang.”

“You did what you had to to survive.” Hanzo tugged Jesse’s hat from his head, looking pointedly at him, “You never said how you were turned. You claimed it was neither an accident, nor was it your choice, so what happened?”

Jesse looked down, brushing his hair out from behind his ears. Tapping his foot, he noticed that Hanzo wasn’t looking away. His dark eyes remained determinedly on him, stern, but not unkind.

“They didn’t say anything about it when I first joined,” Jesse began slowly, voice barely above a whisper, “They picked me up after I skipped out on going back to my foster family. I hated it there and they hated me. Pretty sure they knew what I was—a wizard I mean, but back then I didn’t know what I was doing was magic. I just made things happen, like vending machines breaking or just little everyday things. I just thought I had good luck to make up for all of the shitty stuff. Reyes said that the Deadlock knew what it was though—that’s why they picked me.”

“You said you were twelve when you were turned?”

Jesse nodded and continued, “They took me in, made me feel comfortable. ‘You’re never going to need another family again, Jesse. We’ll take care of you’ they said. Mr. Talon was like a father at first. He checked on me every time he visited the headquarters, brought me new clothes and spent time just talking to me—hours sometimes. Then, about a week after I’d joined up with the gang, the full moon came.”

Jesse stared down at the flagstone floor, remembering the parched dark earth from that night and the way it had soaked up every tear, every drop of sweat and blood.

_The moon lay just behind the clouds, but Jesse had spent all night staring at it every time it peaked out. It was giant; bright orange against the black night. Jesse liked to call it a ‘Halloween Moon’, but he’d heard once that it was called a ‘blood moon’. The rest of the gang were busy, according to Mr. Talon. ‘You’ll be on your own for tonight, Jesse. Why don’t you spend some time outside tonight though? It might be fun.’ Eager to please Mr. Talon, Jesse had of course gone outside as soon as the sun had gone down, laying back against the cool earth. He’d always loved stargazing anyway and it was refreshing to sit beneath the canopy in the sky, even if it was a little cloudy._

_The hair on Jesse’s arms stood on end. Shivering, he sat up, eyes narrowing. One thing he’d learned growing up, jumping from place to place, was to trust his senses. Looking around, he saw nothing in the dark and almost went to lie back down, until a howl pierced the night. It wasn’t like any howl he’d heard before. It was…different somehow and it chilled him to the bone._

_Getting slowly to his feet, Jesse reached for his pocket knife, flicking it open. Just as he made to back away towards the diner, something blindsided him, hitting him hard. He immediately felt a sharp pain in his side—it seemed to almost echo through him; hot, trickling into his veins. Jesse screamed, trying to kick off whatever was on top of him, but it was too heavy, and then there were more cries, jeering howls in the night, the creature’s hot breath on his neck. Blood—there was so much blood. He could feel it and the teeth, the teeth were still—_

“Jesse?”

He jumped, inhaling sharply, “I…it’s…”

“A difficult memory.” Hanzo guessed. He put Jesse’s hat back into his hands, giving him a small nod of encouragement.

Jesse sighed and pulled up his shirt slightly, revealing a deep, jagged scar on his side. It was large, even for a werewolf bite.

“I guess by biting me he claimed me. I don’t really know how else he kept the others from attacking me.” Jesse cleared his throat, “After that night, they didn’t explain what happened. I just woke up a few days later with Mr. Talon sitting next to me, telling me it was time to earn my living. I didn’t believe in magic, but I figured out pretty fucking fast what they’d done.”

Hanzo put a hand on Jesse’s shoulder, “It’s not your fault, whatever you may believe. What they did to you was wrong.”

“Yeah, but I still did stuff for them after that. It was my choice after they turned me to stay; to be their pet.”

“And where else would you have gone, hmm? Back to your foster family? On the run? You did what you had to do, Jesse, and no one can blame you for that.”

“I can,” Jesse said, “Look just…forget I said anything. This isn’t your problem, Hanzo. You should probably stay away from me, especially with the breakout and—“

The portrait hole opened, letting out an explosion of cheery chatter as Genji, Lena, and Professor Amari’s daughter, Fareeha came out. They all stopped upon seeing Jesse and Hanzo, although before they could ask anything Hanzo laughed, breaking whatever tension they might have perceived.

“Genji, what did you do to your hair?”

Jesse hadn’t noticed the change until Hanzo pointed it out. Genji’s hair was now a bright green, which contrasted brilliantly with his scarlet quidditch robes. Lena jumped up, scruffing Genji’s hair.

“Isn’t it brilliant? Fareeha and I helped him do it! I hope you weren’t waiting too long, Hanzo. Oh, hey Jesse, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better!”

Jesse, following Hanzo’s lead, smiled, “Takes more than a cold to knock me out.”

“Glad to hear that, especially since Professor Reinhardt said you were interested in trying out for quidditch today!”

Jesse blinked, “Wait…what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got a bit more rambly than I meant for it to, but ah well. I needed to tie up so Jesse could move on in the next chapter for some awesome try outs!
> 
> Thanks for all of the kudos and comments so far~ It means a lot!
> 
> Side note: I drew a little something for McHanzo week based on the fanfic. https://valkyriesky.tumblr.com/post/162102572515/mchanzo-week-day-2-alternative-universe


	8. Tryouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse is roped into trying out for quidditch

“You’re serious? People fly on broomsticks?”

Jesse watched Lena, Fareeha, and Genji as they each straddled their blooms and shook his head at them. He’d accepted a lot of things so far, but for some reason, the idea of actually flying on broomsticks still seemed silly to him. Maybe it was from the years of watching _Hocus Pocus_ every time Halloween rolled around or the caricature pictures of witches he’d seen growing up, but the idea of sitting on a boom did not seem comfortable. How did someone even sit on it? Hanzo had mentioned something about brooms having invisible seats on their walk down to the pitch, but that almost seemed sillier than the flying part.

“Don’t knock it until you try it,” Lena said with a grin, “Don’t worry if you don’t get this the first time either. Tryouts aren’t for another two hours so you’ve got plenty of time to get the hang of it!”

“And we’ll catch you if you fall,” Genji added with a wry smile, kicking off from the ground.

Jesse gasped as he watched Genji shoot into the air, a blur of red and green. Fareeha went up next, just as fast as Genji had, but higher than him. Lena waited on the ground, looking expectantly at Jesse. Hanzo stood a short distance away, brow arched.

They expected him to stick his hand out to the broom by his side and somehow call it up without a wand, which went against everything he’d been learning so far about magic. _Maybe it’s like the accidental magic I did growing up_? he thought, but that didn’t seem quite right. He supposed there wasn’t any reason to worry about the hows right now, especially not with Lena watching so eagerly.

“Just say ‘up’ and sort of feel for it.”

“Feel for it _how_?” Jesse asked, starting to feel ridiculous.

“With your heart!” Lena said unhelpfully.

“That’s easy for you to say, Lena. You started flying when you could barely walk.”

Angela was walking out onto the pitch now, her usually loose bob now tied back. She had two brooms over her shoulder and had forsaken her usual robes for something closer to a gym outfit.

“Oh, Angela you came too!” Lena hopped off of her broom and ran over to Angela, “You brought Hanzo’s broom too? Fantastic! Hopefully with you two in the mix the mock game will be easier.”

“I’m surprised you two play quidditch,” Jesse commented, glad to have the attention off of him for a moment.

“I’m a keeper,” Angela explained (earning a “Yes you are!” from Fareeha somewhere up in the sky), “and Hanzo’s one of the beaters for the Ravenclaw team.”

“Keeper is like the goalie, right? And the beaters are the ones who smack the moving balls?”

“Yup!” Lena chimed in, “Genji and Fareeha are both chasers and I’m the team’s seeker.”

“What position are you thinking about trying out for, Jesse?” Angela asked.

Jesse sighed, looking away, “At the moment I’m just trying to figure out how to get onto a broom and fly. I’ll figure out all of the other stuff later—if I try out.”

Genji flew back down, hovering near them, “Are you still trying to summon your broom? Look, just call it like Hanzo does.”

“And how exactly do I call it, brother?” Hanzo asked stiffly.

“Through sheer stubbornness. You’d think he’d be all proper and poised with this sort of thing like everything else, but nah—you should have seen him when he was learning! He’d make this face—“ Genji scrunched up his face like he was angry before laughing, “It’s why he makes a good beater though.”

“I am a good beater because hitting the bludgers requires a strong understanding of practical geometry—something simple that you fail to realize.”

“Blah, blah, blah, I studied muggle stuff and arithmancy—“

“Shut up!”

Jesse laughed, startling almost everyone. He felt his cheeks darken a little as they stared at him and looked down, tugging at his hat a little.

“What?”

“It’s just…we’ve never heard you laugh before.” Angela smiled, “Why don’t you try summoning it now?”

Jesse, cheeks still red, held out his hand over the broom. He took a deep breath and instead of thinking ‘this is stupid’ for the hundredth time, he tried to think ‘come up’. And it did. He nearly dropped the broom out of surprise as it leaped into his hand. Angela and Lena both cheered and Genji shouted “HAH! I knew you could do it!”.

Hanzo smirked, “Now can you fly?”

Professor Morrison had told him not to do anything too extraneous, but right now, elated from the success of summoning the broom, encouraged by the smiles of his friends (a strange thought—he had friends), Jesse climbed onto the broom and kicked off. The effect was immediate. He felt himself suddenly shoot into the air and he instinctively held onto the broom tighter.

“Level out! Level out!” Fareeha shouted, flying up next to him, “Loosen your grip a little—that’s it, there you go! You’ve got it! Now lean a little bit to turn.”

Hanzo, Lena, and Angela flew up next to join him in the sky and soon enough, Jesse began to grasp the basics of flying. He wouldn’t call himself a natural the way that Fareeha, Lena, and Angela seemed to be (sometimes he wondered if they even had a broom—they made flying look effortless), but he felt that with time and practice, flying could be something he could enjoy.

After about an hour, they all flew down to the ground for a break. Professor Reinhardt, who had been watching from the stands the entire time, stood on the ground waiting for them with a giant basket and large picnic blanket.

“GREETINGS MY FRIENDS!” he shouted up, waving to them as they touched down onto the ground, “That was amazing! Excellent flying! Mr. McCree, I’m glad to see you came! AH! Miss Ziegler! Mr. Older Shimada! Always good to see you two too!”

“Hello Professor Reinhardt,” Angela smiled, “I’m surprised you came to the tryouts. I thought you were busy today with another matter?”

“Ah, but I always make time for my House!” He tossed the picnic blanket up into the air, then pulling out his wand in a fluid motion and made the blanket lay itself out neatly onto the ground. He then sat the basket down and plopped down onto the ground. “Sit my friends! I brought lunch!”

This was apparently normal procedure for tryout day as no one questioned it. Everyone sat down onto the blanket, reaching into the basket one at a time to retrieve plates and cups. When it was Jesse’s turn to reach into the basket, he couldn't find the bottom, but he was able to reach around up to his elbow to pull out his plate and cup. Once everyone had the plates, Professor Reinhardt reached into the basket and pulled out one final, large platter, which magically filled with sandwiches of multiple varieties. Jesse ended up choosing a BLT (he had a feeling Professor Reinhardt had brought this one specifically for him since no one else picked the BLTs).

After they all ate their fill (or at least were done stuffing their faces), Lena looked to Jesse and asked, “So whatcha think? You still want to join the team?”

Jesse almost said no, but then Hanzo said, “I would enjoy challenging him after he’s gotten better.”

He met Hanzo’s smirk with an arched brow, “Oh? Well, I can’t turn down a challenge. Sure, Lena, I’ll try out.”

“Yes!” Lena cheered, “You won’t regret it, right professor?”

“Indeed! I played Quidditch in my youth as well! You should have seen it!”

Lena got to her feet, “Well, I’ve got to set up everything for the tryout. Genji can you come help me with the crate?”

 

* * *

 

 Jesse watched the other Gryffindor students lining up, feeling a small twinge of anticipation. It had been a long time since he’d done any sort of sport just for fun. Sure, the gang had spent time out in the desert playing soccer, but that sort of competition was anything but fun. It was a game of power with them. Here though, the competition had a different vibe. Everyone wanted to join the team, but not because it would hurt to fail, but because they wanted to have fun. Hanzo stood off to one side with Angela, their brooms over their shoulder while Lena moved to stand before them, Genji and Fareeha next to her.

“Hey all! Thanks for coming out today! We’re looking for a lot of new players this season, so I’m really excited to see everyone flying today. We need a chaser, two beaters, and a keeper. If we see some really good flying out there though we’ll be happy to let a few more people onto the team as substitutes. Sound good everyone? Right, so what position is everyone trying out for?”

Lena went down the line asking each person in turn. By far the most popular position seemed to be chaser.

When she got to Jesse she prompted him with a wink, “You said you were interested in playing keeper, right?”

He hadn’t really thought about what position he wanted to play, but he supposed keeper made sense since he was newer to flying—not that he thought keepers had an easy job. If they were anything like goalies in soccer, they would help to call out plays since they saw the entire field, plus it was their job to make sure nothing made it through the rings. They wouldn't be required to fly around though at breakneck speeds.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“Fantastic! Alright everyone, let’s get up into the air. We’ll have enough people for two full teams since Hanzo and Angela are joining us. Oh, before everyone goes up, put on these armbands so we can tell who’s on which team.”

Once everyone was situated, they mounted their brooms and took off, doing a quick warm up lap before settling into their respective starting positions. Jesse hovered near the goalposts, watching as the game began. Immediately Fareeha took the ball. It almost looked like she was going to score, but Angela blocked the ball with surprising ease, hitting it with the back of her broom towards Genji, who caught it and began to shoot towards Jesse’s side of the field.

 _How the hell am I supposed to fly_ and _grab the ball at the same time?!_ Jesse realized in horror, but he had no time to consider his options. Genji was already speeding towards him, throwing the ball. Without thinking he did what at the time seemed to be the only thing to do: as if he were in soccer, he dove, jumping off of his broom to grab the ball. Distantly he heard shouting as he wrapped himself around the ball before plummeting towards the ground and thinking, _Well that was dumb_.

He shut his eyes, preparing for the inevitable impact, only to suddenly feel strong arms wrapping around his him, slowing his fall.

“Drop the ball!” Hanzo shouted and Jesse quickly obeyed, letting go of the quaffle.

Carefully, the two descended to the ground, landing on the pitch with a small thump. The rest of the students were landing now and Lena sped down towards them coming to a quick stop in front of them.

“Are you alright?” Hanzo asked.

Jesse nodded, looking down at the ground, “I’m fine…thanks.”

“Then what were you thinking, jumping off of the broom?”

“Don’t think he was thinking,” Genji chimed in with a grin, but his smile wilted under Hanzo's stern look.

“Well that was exciting,” Lena cut in, “If everyone’s alright, let’s get back into the tryout. Jesse…if you want to take a break—“

“I’m fine,” Jesse snapped, looking around for his broom.

It was hovering near the ground by the goalpost. He went over and picked it up, flying up once again into the air without another word. The tryouts resumed. Alone near the goalposts, Jesse let out a heavy sigh. He hadn’t meant to snap, but seeing everyone standing there, staring and worrying over him—what else was he supposed to do? _Maybe say ‘thanks for worrying guys’ and smile for a change?_ Old habits died hard he supposed.

The next time a chaser came at him, Jesse remained firmly seated on his broom. The first two saves he barely made, as he kept one hand still on the broom handle when reaching for the ball. The next time Genji came for him (there was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he threw the ball), Jesse let go with both hands and, clutching the broomstick with his knees, dove for the ball. He barely managed to grab it without being unseated. It took him longer than he would have liked to recover, keeping one arm firmly around the ball as he worked to get his balance again. In the end, he was glad just to still be on the broom. After he threw the ball back into play, passing it to Fareeha, Hanzo came over to him.

“Seems like you’re getting the hang of it now.” He casually swung his bat at a bludger heading towards Jesse, redirecting it towards Genji who dodged it.

“Something like that. Sorry for snapping earlier.”

“I understand…but you should say sorry to Lena. She was the one you snapped at.” He frowned, “No one wants to see you fail you know…from what I can tell, they all just want to be your friend. Maybe try giving people a chance, hmm?”

With that he flew off, giving Jesse a little time to think as he guarded the posts. The tryouts ended after a neck-to-neck chase for the snitch (which Lena caught after an amazing dive). Once Lena got the team rounded up on the ground she explained that the final decisions would be posted in the common room by the end of the week.

“Thanks again for coming out to tryout everyone! Also, make sure you all thank Hanzo and Angela for helping us out today.”

Jesse left with the other Gryffindors to get dinner before going up to his bed, collapsing onto it. _All in all…not entirely terrible._ With that thought he curled up on top of the covers, robes still on, and went to sleep.

 


	9. Shields

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morrison has a talk with Reyes. Jesse tries the dueling club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe how many comments and kudos y'all have been giving me lately! Thank you so much! It's really helped me to keep my mood up. Every time an email pops up about a kudos or comment I get so excited, so seriously: thank you, guys! 
> 
> @jade_rabbit mentioned in their comment that they hoped to see some more Jack and Gabe interactions! There's definitely going to be more, but he's a short tidbit for now :)

Not for the first time, Jack Morrison found himself looking through Jesse McCree’s files. Most students had small, page long bios tucked away in the headmaster’s office. They gave basic details about the students: their full name, familial background, age, house, and any other important details such as allergies. Jesse McCree’s file contained a normal bio along with a long report regarding his crimes with the Deadlock Gang and Reyes and Amari’s mission report on the night they found him. There was also a transcript of his interrogation and a note that exempted him from having to go to court for his previous crimes.

Out of respect for Gabe, Jack had avoided looking too far into Jesse’s files, but some of what he’d said and done in the hospital wing bothered him. Jack rifled through the file, frowning a little at the photo stored in with it. It was a picture of Jesse from shortly after the sorting. He was sitting at the Gryffindor table, his hat pulled low over his eyes as he warily eyed the food platters before him. _He's changed a lot since then_ , Jack noted. His face had filled out a bit and some of the purple rings under his eyes had gone away. At the very least he was getting some proper meals and fixing his sleeping habits. Jack pushed aside the photo and looked at the next paper. The school bio didn’t present anything entirely notable or new. It had been updated since the last time he’d looked at it though.

“Jesse McCree, birthdate still unknown, family still unknown, but at least we now know he’s allergic to apricots—that’s a random one.”

Jack shook his head, continuing to leaf through. He ignored the list of crimes (Gabe had specifically said to not look at that one yet) and went back to the mission reports.

“You’ve read those a dozen times since he’s come here.”

Jack looked up to see Gabe standing in the doorway, looking a little worse for the wear. There were dark circles under his eyes and he had a split, swollen lip.

“What happened to you, Gabe?” Jack put the papers down and stood up from his desk chair, “Come here, let me see.”

“Heh, worried about me? How sweet.” He grinned, despite his broken lip, and came over to the desk, sitting down on it.

Jack shook his head, “Why didn’t you go see Ana after the mission?”

“She’s got her own problems,” Gabe admitted, “Took a nasty stunner. She’ll be fine by morning, but she needs rest.”

“Not like you two to get beaten up on a mission.” Jack picked up his wand, lightly tapping it to Gabe’s battered lip. A soft golden light lit up at the end of the wand and the skin began to mend, the bruising fading away.

“The Deadlocks that escaped are tough bastards. Talon’s got them working with some other agents now that we didn’t even know about before—some underground folks.”

“Any ideas about their goals yet?”

“Besides the obvious ones? Not really. We thought that Deadlock seemed content to just try to get power and money, but it seems like there’s something more going on. They’re taking orders from Mr. Talon, and he seems to have a whole slew of people who listen to him.”

Jack reached up after the spell was done, running his thumb gently over Gabe’s lip, “You’re supposed to be retiring from all of this soon. What are you doing, Gabe?”

“Same as you. Oh don’t give me that look. I know you’ve been out hunting Deadlock members since they escaped. You were the one who dropped off that nasty fellow with the broken nose at the Ministry two nights ago, right? You're the only wizard I know who'd deck a guy instead of just stunning him.”

Jack smirked, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. My days as a strike commander are over—just like yours should be soon.”

Gabe sighed, taking Jack’s hand, “You know I’m trying to give it up. It’s hard though, knowing everything that’s going on. I can’t just walk away, especially now that they’re looking for Jesse.”

“I still don’t understand why they want him,” Jack admitted, “He’s a smart kid—brilliant if I’m being honest. But he’s just one kid. Did he make that much of a difference in the gang?”

“Jack…you know I can’t tell you.” Gabe looked over at the file on the desk, “I’ve told you before. That’s for him to tell you.”

“He had a bit of an incident while you were gone. He got spooked I think after he made this smart ass comment—he thought I was going to go at him I guess.”

Gabe let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, “What’d he do?”

“Shattered all of the windows in the hospital wing before running out. I found him in the broom closet down the hall. I got him to open up a little. Not much, but enough that I think with time he might trust me.” He smiled a little, “He tried out for quidditch the other day.”

“So he’s adjusting.” Gabe seemed to relax a little, a bit of tension leaving his shoulders.

“You said he would,” Jack reminded him, “Now it’s your turn. Start cutting back on the missions, Gabe. If not for yourself, then for me?”

Gabe reached over for the file, passing it to Jack, “Go put this back, then meet me in my office. I’ve had a long day.”

“I’ll grab some firewhisky from the kitchens.” Jack shuffled the papers back into the folder, then leaned in to kiss Gabe briefly before heading out.

 

* * *

 

Classes resumed as usual, as if nothing had happened over the weekend other than the quidditch tryouts. A few people asked how Jesse was feeling (apparently rumors spread like wildfire through the school—somehow everyone knew that he’d been “sick”), but it seemed like only Hanzo knew the truth of the situation.

Since that night, the two of them were speaking more. They still bickered every so often, their competitive nature often butting in during conversations, but there was progress. Having friends was something new for Jesse and frankly; he wasn’t really sure how to handle it. He’d apologized to Lena as Hanzo had suggested. She’d simply smiled at him and said it was no problem. He was starting to spend time now with the other Gryffindors as well. Genji turned out to be pretty good company. Hanzo’s younger brother was far more interested in quidditch and goofing around than pretty much anything else, but there was a joy to Genji that was contagious. It was hard to feel down around him, especially when Lena was around. Between the two of them, Jesse found himself smiling more and more over the next few days.

“You’ve got that grin on your face again,” Hanzo commented as they made their way down to the Great Hall for the dueling club.

“I went out with Fareeha after dinner to practice,” Jesse explained, “I don’t think I’m going to make the quidditch team as a starter or anything—does quidditch have starters?”

“You did well enough during the try out besides throwing yourself from your broom,” Hanzo said with a small chuckle.

“I’m still new to flying though, and Lena’s going to want the best people she can get on the team.”

Entering the Great Hall, Jesse and Hanzo found that all of the tables had been pushed aside. There were about a dozen or so students standing together near Professor Morrison towards the center of the Great Hall. Jesse saw Genji talking with a Hufflepuff boy he’d seen in passing, but had never spoken with. Besides Genji, he didn’t recognize any of the other students.

“That’s Zenyatta,” Hanzo explained quietly as they approached, “The Slytherin girl with the pink makeup is Hana Song. She’s a famous gamer in the muggle world. The other Slytherin with her is…well, actually, no one knows her name. She’s even got the Professors to call her by her nickname, Sombra.”

“Maybe her real name is something embarrassing.”

“I wouldn’t say that around her. Anyway, that other Gryffindor there is Jameson Fawkes. You probably haven’t seen him around since he’s usually in detention for one prank or another. He’s a potions and charms master—you should have seen the mess he made of the Great Hall with one of his pranks. Oh, and that Slytherin girl in the corner there is Satya Vaswani. She’s probably the smartest girl in school.”

Jesse smirked, “Then why isn’t she in Ravenclaw with you and Angela?”

“Intelligent people can be in other Houses. Didn’t you listen to the Sorting Hat’s song at all?”

“No, I was too busy trying not to walk out and say ‘fuck it’ at the time if we’re being entirely honest here.”

Hanzo sighed, “Next time you get a chance, look over _Hogwarts: A History_. For now, all you need to know is that each House has some defining traits, but they’re not exclusive.”

Jesse and Hanzo came to stop at the edge of the group next to Genji and Zenyatta. Zenyatta was tall for his age. He reminded Jesse of a monk in a way with his shaved head and stripes of yellow paint on the corners of his eyes. Maybe it was narrow-minded of him to think it, but he couldn’t help but be reminded of that cartoon about controlling the elements from when he was a kid.

"Oh, you’re joining Jesse?” Genji asked, “Did Hanzo trick you into this?”

“Professor Morrison did, actually.” He looked over at Hanzo, “Were you going to try to convince me to join if he didn’t?”

“The possibility crossed my mind,” Hanzo admitted, “I haven’t forgotten that first transfiguration class.”

“Oh what, you want to _duel_ me?” Jesse grinned, “Now that doesn’t sound very fair. You’ve got a lot more training under your belt.”

“I would not sell yourself short,” Zenyatta said in a measured tone, “Hanzo does not challenge people lightly.”

“That so?”

Before Hanzo could respond, Professor Morrison cleared his throat, calling everyone’s attention. He wasn’t wearing his usual robes and instead had on a fitted black shirt and a pair of cargo pants with boots. Jesse had known that Professor Morrison was fit before (he’d seen the way his robes strained a little at the shoulders), but he hadn’t realized just how fit the Professor was. _There’s no way this guy’s just a professor._

“I’m glad to see so many returning faces this year,” he began with a smile that surprised Jesse a little. Normally Professor Morrison seemed tense, but he appeared to be at ease surrounded by the students.

“For those who are new, I’ll give a brief introduction. The Dueling Club has always been a staple of Hogwarts extracurricular education. This particular style of dueling comes from a long-standing tradition that goes back to even before Middle Ages.” He crossed his arms, “I used to be the head of the dueling club here and after I left Hogwarts I worked as an auror with the Ministry of Magic, so I’ve got quite a bit of practice with this. Dueling isn’t for everyone, but it’s still important to learn.”

 _He used to be an auror? That explains a lot_. Jesse thought back to what Professor Morrison had said in the hospital wing the other day. If he had to guess, Professor Morrison was probably one of the combat medics, or whatever the wizard equivalent of that was. It would explain his knowledge of healing magic as well as allowing him to satisfy his apparent desire to fight. _It would be nice to learn how to heal_.

The club started with the group practicing some basic spells for defending and attacking. Jesse didn’t know any of them, but as usual, he was fast to learn. He had to keep up. After about a half hour of practice, Professor Morrison split them up into groups, matching senior members with newer ones with the intention of the more experienced student helping the new one.

Jesse ended up being paired off with Hanzo. The two moved to a spot towards the edge of the group, taking out their wands and waiting for the ok to start.

“Remember, stick to the drill! You’re going to go back and forth casting a shielding spell and an attack spell! Make sure your partner is ready with their shield _before_ you use your attack spell. Are we clear? Alright! On three! One. Two. Three!”

Jesse barely had a second to put up a shield before Hanzo sent a spell at him. His spell hit Jesse’s shield squarely, dispersing upon impact.

Hanzo grinned at Jesse, “Your reflexes are good.”

“I’d hope so,” Jesse said, “Seeing as if they weren’t I’d be sitting on the floor right about now.”

Like Hanzo, he didn’t wait to see the shield spell. He cast his attack without hesitation. To his surprise, Hanzo seemed a little startled. He was able to bring up a shield just in time.

“Your spell…did you mean to aim for my heart?”

He almost said no. Normally he had to aim for the head when practicing.

“I expected you to disobey the instructions, but insubordination from you, Mr. Shimada? I’m surprised.” Professor Morrison crossed his arms, looking at the two boys, “You two weren’t playing with those attacks either. Remember, this is practice, not an actual competition yet.”

“Yet?” Jesse felt a small smirk tug at his lips, “You mean there’s dueling competitions? Here?”

“Yes and against other schools.” Professor Morrison sighed, almost sounding resigned, “I take it you’re interested?”

“Seems pretty fun,” Jesse admitted, “And I won’t lie: I used to be a real sharp shooter back home.”

“Shooting a gun isn’t like using a wand in a duel!” Professor Morrison snapped. He took a breath, steadying himself again. “You do realize it’s a bit more complicated, right?”

“Once you get the basic motion and verbal components down, it seems to be the same as any other sort of duel. Aim, coordination, strategy.” Jesse shrugged, “Those were my strong suits before I got a wand. Don’t see why it’d be any different with this.”

Professor Morrison had a strange look in his eyes. Jesse remembered seeing that look in Mr. Talon’s eyes the first time he’d taken Jesse out to shoot cans behind the diner.

 

_“You’ve never shot a gun before? Not even one of those little nerf guns?”_

_Jesse shook his head, holding his wrist. It was numb from the recoil. “No, sir.”_

_Mr. Talon walked over to the cans, picking one up. He examined it, running his finger over the hole drilled in the center. He looked back to Jesse, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if trying to see something beyond the rugged boy that stood in front of him._

_“You didn't miss any of them...You have a gift, Jesse. You’re a gift.”_

_Jesse felt his breath catch. He beamed at Mr. Talon, “I’ll keep working at it, sir. I'll be faster next time!”_

_Mr. Talon smiled, tossing the can. He walked back to Jesse, putting his hands on Jesse’s shoulders. “I know you will. Good job, Jesse.”_

 

“With practice…you could do well in the dueling club,” Professor Morrison admitted, “And I’ll never deny a student willing to learn. You two keep practicing—but follow the drill, damn it.”

Professor Morrison left, going over to the group with Hana Song and Genji Shimada (it seemed as though Hana was giving Genji some trouble with her attacks).

Hanzo frowned at Jesse and asked once Professor Morrison was out of earshot, “You used to do a lot of shooting with the gang then?”

Jesse saw no judgment in his gaze. It was his usual, steady glance that he had whenever he asked about Jesse's past.

“Yeah. They mostly kept me as the guard dog—ah, no pun intended.” He adjusted his hat, and said in a low voice, “I never killed a man with a gun, if that’s what you’re getting at. I’d get sent in sometimes to scope out the area and I’d help coordinate the attacks, but I could never bring myself to…end it. I practiced to aim for the vital spots, but in the end, my shots land where I want them. Always have.”

The two went back to the drill. Hanzo was quiet, even for him, and there seemed to be less fire in his attacks. It seemed as though he were far away, lost in his own thoughts. Jesse didn’t think the shift in his mood would bother him, but it did. After club ended, Jesse expected Hanzo wanted to want to stay back and talk. Instead he saw Hanzo leaving without a word. Jesse walked back to the common room alone, wondering what it was that he’d done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a note about Jesse: I know some folks might not be happy about his confession of never killing anyone since canonically in the game, it's known that he's a scary good fighter who doesn't hesitate. It's also pretty widely accepted in fanon that he'd probably have been a top combatant within the Deadlock Gang. I decided to go a slightly different direction with my head canon. I figured in this universe, as I'm writing it, Mr. Talon would have wanted to really help forge Jesse up both physically and mentally (especially mentally) before giving him a kill order. This isn't to say that Jesse didn't take people out: he had damn good aim and left people critical, but he was adamant about not killing unless absolutely ordered, which in this canon, as I said, he wasn't yet due to his age and current mental state. Mr. Talon would have wanted to manipulate him a bit longer to make sure that that first time wouldn't break him. That being said though, Jesse's definitely done some pretty bad stuff for the gang, which will be revealed later.


	10. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo overhears a startling argument. Jesse makes a crucial decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh goodness. I didn't realize how many typos and weird grammatical...things I had in the earlier chapters! You guys have been so patient with me. Thank you for tolerating my sloppy writing <3 I'll try to be a little more careful in the future and I'll probably continue to go back and rework chapters.

Hanzo stayed away from Jesse the next morning at breakfast and sat at a different table during potions. It wasn’t something that was noticed by anyone other than Angela, who commented that the two seemed ‘frosty’ again after class.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Angela.” Hanzo said on their way out of the dungeons.

“Is that so? One minute I thought you two might have finally started to get along and now you’re completely avoiding him. What happened at the dueling club? You looked really out of it when you came back.”

“It is nothing.”

Angela deadpanned, “Hanzo. What happened?”

“Would it satisfy you if I said I can’t say?” Hanzo ran a hand through his hair, which he’d left loose, “I found out something about Jesse and…I guess it hit close to home.”

“Home?” Angela’s expression softened a little, “ _That_ sort of home?”

He nodded, “You never admitted to him that you know a bit about his past if I recall?”

“I found out by accident that he apparently used to be part of a gang,” Angela said, “So I’m guessing he might have faced some of the same… _challenges_ …you did before you came to Hogwarts.”

“It would seem so.” Hanzo looked down and started to rifle through his bag, “I forgot my book. I’ll be back.”

“I’ll meet you back in the common room then,” Angela said quietly, “But you really should go talk to him. He seemed pretty put out, even for him.”

Hanzo said nothing as he turned and left. He heard Angela sigh behind him and could practically see her shaking her head in exasperation. _She only knows a little about the Shimada family…it’s not her fault_. It wasn’t Jesse’s fault either. How was Jesse supposed to know that of all that talk about the gang would bring up memories that Hanzo would rather keep buried away? He couldn’t have known. _To think that he’s actually been faced with the choice though of whether to spare or end a life._ Hanzo had been forced to do a lot of things for his father, but he had yet to be faced with that decision.

“You want to do what, Jack? Absolutely not!”

Hanzo stopped. Outside of the Potions classroom, he heard Professor Amari’s voice carrying out from under the door. Hanzo hesitated, but when he heard Professor Morrison’s voice, his curiosity got the better of him, especially when the professor mentioned a certain name.

“I want to take McCree out with me to hunt down the rest of the Deadlock Gang.”

“Are you out of your mind? He’s a child! A child who’s finally free of those monsters and you want to what? Use him as a sidekick? Bait?”

“Ana, he practically wrote their playbook if what I’ve heard is true! He’d be able to help me counter them—we could save lives!”

“Jack, did you forget that they’re looking for him? The only reason they haven’t found him yet is because the school’s so heavily warded and because he doesn’t have a trace on him. If he leaves the school grounds though I give it an hour before they find him.”

“I think this could be good for him, Ana. He needs closure.” There was a pause, “I used to think his contempt was just because he had a bad attitude, but now that I’ve spoken to him a bit, I think it’s because he’s frustrated. He feels guilty for what he did.”

“Of course he does! Reyes went and told him that he bit three people. Add that on top of whatever else he did when serving the gang and you’ve got a recipe for emotional disaster. That’s exactly why he needs time away from it all so he can heal.”

“And I think that’s why he needs to get out there. He likes to solve his own problems. He won’t thank us if we do it for him.”

“He might not thank us, but at least he’ll be alive. I’m sorry, Jack. I know you’re trying to help him, but this isn’t the way.”

Hanzo heard footsteps approaching and quickly went further down the corridor, waiting in the shadows. He saw the door open and Professor Morrison storming out. Hanzo gave it to the count of ten before he went back to the door for the potions classroom. Professor Amari was standing near her desk, looking down at a pile of papers with a frustrated look on her face. The look fell away when she saw Hanzo.

“Oh, I was going to bring your book to you. I saw that you forgot it.”

Hanzo nodded his thanks, “I appreciate it, but I thought I would save you the trouble.”

“You’re friends with Mr. McCree, aren’t you?”

Hanzo caught the knowing look in her eyes. _She knows that I know about him, doesn’t she? Or that I was listening?_

“Keep an eye on him, please? I’m glad that you’ve warmed up to him. He needs good people around him to help him adjust.”

“Of course, Professor Amari. He’s not too bad once you get to know him.”

Professor Amari smiled, “Indeed. Well, off to your next class, Mr. Shimada. Oh, and good job on your potion today.”

Hanzo left feeling torn. Had Professor Amari asked him to keep an eye on Jesse in hopes that he could help him with adjusting as she claimed, or was it to make sure that Professor Morrison didn’t try to turn Jesse into some vigilante? What exactly had that whole conversation been about? It almost sounded like Professor Morrison was still an auror after hours, but that was ridiculous, right? _Morrison retired but it’s not entirely improbable that he’s continued to fight outside of the law._ It was a thread of thought he would have to pursue later.

For now, he had a bigger debate: should he tell Jesse about what he overheard, or should he keep it to himself? If he told Jesse, Hanzo had a suspicion that Jesse would actually like the idea. From what he’d learned of Jesse, the other boy did like to solve his own problems just as Professor Morrison had indicated. If he didn’t tell Jesse though, there was a chance that Professor Morrison would just find him and tell him anyway. _No, he won’t go against Professor Amari…I don’t think._ Hanzo made up his mind. For the time being, he would stick close to Jesse, listening to make sure that nothing was wrong. If he heard something though, he would go straight to Professor Amari and Professor Reyes.

 

* * *

 

Jesse looked at the announcement board at the end of the week, crowding around with the rest of the students who had tried out for Quidditch. Scanning the list for his name, he felt his stomach sink a little. He wasn’t on the team. That was to be expected he supposed. Lena would want people with more experience with flying and after his shenanigans of jumping off of the broom he had no doubt he'd be seen as a liability. Jesse left the announcement board, a little surprised to notice that he felt a bit disappointed. _It’s not like I have time for Quidditch practice –and- dueling club_ , he thought. Still, he didn’t like to fail and that’s what it felt like.

It was early evening when Jesse left the common room, going out into the halls to stretch his legs a bit. He was about to start wandering the corridors in search of more secret passages (he suspected he found one the other day, but he couldn’t figure out how to open it) when Professor Morrison came out of one of the classrooms. He stopped, seemingly surprised to see Jesse.

“I swear, sometimes I feel like we need to put a bell on you, Mr. McCree. I didn’t hear you coming down the hall.”

Jesse shrugged, “Hope I didn’t scare you, Professor.”

Jesse thought he saw a ghost of a smile on Professor Morrison’s lips, “Hardly, Mr. McCree. What are you doing out in the corridors right now though? It’s almost curfew.”

“I didn’t feel like sitting around,” Jesse admitted, “And there are too many people in the common room to practice my spellwork.”

There was a long, almost awkward pause. Professor Morrison ran a hand through his hair, hesitating, “I have a favor to ask you, Jesse.”

Jesse frowned, arching an eyebrow, “What sort of ‘favor’?”

“Jesse! There you are!”

Hanzo came jogging down the hall, looking uncharacteristically chipper. He nodded to Professor Morrison before looking to Jesse again.

“I’ve been looking for you all day. Did you make the Quidditch team?”

Professor Morrison cleared his throat, “I can see you are busy, Mr. McCree. If you’ll excuse me.”

He left, heading the opposite direction down the hall. Hanzo watched him leave, his eyes narrowed. Jesse waited for Professor Morrison to be out of sight before asking,

“Something happen between you two? Or us for that matter?”

“Hm?” Hanzo shrugged, “No, nothing of importance. So you were saying about the Quidditch team?”

Jesse could tell that something was on Hanzo’s mind, but he let it slide for now. Unlike Hanzo, he wasn’t one to pry into other folk’s business.

“Nah, I didn’t make the team. It’s not a big deal though. I’ve got enough to worry about as it is.”

“I imagine so,” Hanzo mumbled, “Well, I guess it’s for the best then. Come on.”

Jesse pushed his hat back a little, crossing his arms, “Hanzo, what aren’t you telling me?”

“What do you mean?” Hanzo smirked, “I thought we could walk back to the common room together since I have to talk to Genji about something anyway.”

“You’re just acting weird. You avoided me during potions the other day and practically all week and now you’re acting like everything’s fine?”

Jesse arched an eyebrow at Hanzo, waiting. He wasn’t stupid. He hadn’t survived as long as he had in the gang by being a passive observer or an obedient dog. He’d listened and he’d learned. He could tell something was off with Hanzo. The way that Hanzo had come to stand close to him, almost possessively so when confronting Professor Morrison just seemed odd.

“If you must know, I was still thinking about the dueling club.”

“Oh…you mean about the whole…finishing it thing?” Jesse uncrossed his arms, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said so much. You only asked if I was used to shooting, not about all of that stuff. It isn’t fair that I’ve put so much on you lately.”

“To be 'fair' though, I’m the one who happened to overhear about your other issue.” Hanzo seemed to relax a little.

“You’ve made me talk about a lot of things that I’ve only told Reyes so far.”

Hanzo tilted his head, “What made you feel like you could open up to me?”

“Besides the fact that you don’t let me off the hook when you ask me a question? I guess it's because you were honest that night up on the tower. You didn’t sugar coat the reality of it all and I appreciate folks who see how things are but are willing to still get to know a person.”

Jesse was curious about Hanzo’s past as well, but he wasn’t about to pry just yet. From what he could tell, it was a sticky family issue and those were never easy to talk about. If Hanzo wanted a one-sided relationship, for now, he'd oblige, but he was determined to get the other boy to open up, eventually. Trust was a difficult thing and Jesse supposed he hadn't quite earned all of Hanzo's yet, even if Hanzo had earned his.

“I expected a quip and instead I got a frank answer.” Hanzo shook his head, “You make no sense.”

Jesse started to lead the way back towards Gryffindor House, “What can I say? I have to keep people on their toes.”

 

* * *

It was well past curfew when Jack heard a knock at his office door. Like most professors, he had a small bedroom connected to his office. His room was spartan, fashioned with a Queen sized bed, a bookshelf, and a trunk off against the wall. The window cast the dim light of the waning moon through the curtains, illuminating the room. Grumbling, Jack sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing over at the sleeping form of Reyes. _Still out…he must be working overtime._ He got to his feet as quietly as he could and grabbed a night robe off of the back of the door before heading out into the office, closing his bedroom door behind him of course.

When he opened the office door he was surprised to see none other than Jesse McCree standing outside of it. He’d forsaken his usual cowboy hat and was dressed for stealth, wearing no shoes and dressed in dark nightclothes, no doubt in hopes of avoiding the attention of the ghost that patrolled the halls at night.

Jack yawned, “Jesse, it’s nearly 3am. What is it?”

Jesse looked up at him, his brown eyes far too keen for Jack’s liking.

“You said you needed a favor from me earlier. It’s about the Deadlock Gang, isn’t it?”

Jack knew his face must have given away his shock when Jesse pressed on, his voice barely above a whisper.

“What can I do?”

Jack glanced behind him at the bedroom door before turning his attention back to Jesse, “Let’s go down the hall. We can talk in one of the empty classrooms.”

Jesse nodded and like a phantom, he padded silently down the hallway. Jack followed after him, not quite as light on his feet. Once safely in the classroom, away from eavesdroppers, Jack took a deep breath. He regarded Jesse for a long moment, thinking back to what Ana had said. If he did this…he’d probably piss off more than just Ana. _He needs closure though and I need answers._ He decided on a compromise.

“I need you to tell me everything you can about the gang.”


	11. Waxing Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse speaks with Professor Morrison about a theory. Hanzo starts to open up to Jesse.

Leaving Gryffindor tower at night wasn’t a big deal for Jesse. He snuck out almost every other night to go to the astronomy tower or to try to search for hidden passages. Sneaking out to seek out the last teacher he wanted to run into? That was a big deal. Jesse sat down on top of one of the desks, watching Professor Morrison. Professor Morrison still seemed surprised that Jesse had sought him out after their conversation that afternoon had been interrupted, but what had he expected Jesse to do?

“I’m guessing that Reyes doesn’t want you asking about all of this?” Jesse smirked a little at Professor Morrison’s look, “I’m not stupid. I know he’s trying to keep me away from all of that. Since the breakout, he’s barely spoken to me.”

It was hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He wanted to help. The Deadlock Gang and everyone associated with them were bad news and there was a lot Jesse had to do to fix what he’d done. Jesse ran a hand through his messy hair, wishing he had his hat on.

“I’d rather not get Reyes involved,” Professor Morrison admitted, “Or Amari.”

 _Amari? I guess she would know about everything, being headmaster and all._ Jesse nodded, agreeing.

“Then we’re on the same page. Except,” Jesse paused, “I want to help. More than just by giving information.”

“Jesse, you’re new to magic—“

“I don’t need magic to help.”

Professor Morrison shook his head, “Not yet, Jesse. Give it time and…maybe. But don’t ask to go out into the field yet.”

Jesse glared at Professor Morrison, but he broke first. “Fine. But I will help hunt down the gang, one way or another.”

“Focus on the ‘or another’ part right now.” Professor Morrison sat down on the desk next to Jesse. “What can you tell me about Mr. Talon?”

“That I haven’t already told Reyes?”

“What you’ve told him too. I want everything you can give me about him.”

Jesse sighed, settling back onto the desk, “Get your notebook out then. We might be here a while.”

Professor Morrison, as if to mock him, did, in fact, take out a small notepad and quill.

“He always went by ‘Mr. Talon’, but I gathered while I was with Deadlock that there were multiple guys named ‘Mr. Talon’…or at least it seemed like that was the case from what I overheard. It seemed like it was more of a code name or title. No one ever confirmed it though and I wasn’t dumb enough to ask. The man I dealt with though was named Maximilien. There was another guy too who came around sometimes to the gang to check in on us. He didn’t go by ‘Mr. Talon’, but he seemed to be on the same level as Maximilien or maybe even higher than him, so I’m guessing he had the title too.”

“So the one who escaped Azkaban?”

“Reyes said it wasn’t him and the more I’ve thought about it, it makes sense. Mr. Tal—Maximilien was clever. He was strong, but if he could compartmentalize and have someone else do the dirty work, he would. He didn’t like to have things that could be tied back to him.”

“Didn’t Reyes have you confirm his identity after he was captured?”

Jesse chuckled, looking down, “I was still in cuffs when he was captured and after that Reyes wouldn’t let me within three states of him. No, they had others in the gang to testify it was him, or well, one of them.”

“So,” Professor Morrison glanced down at his notes (he’d actually been jotting things down), “You think ‘Mr. Talon’ is more like a code name for a rank that some people carry? What’s your reasoning? You’re making a pretty bold claim and so far it seems to be based off a small thing.”

Jesse weighed his words, considering his reasoning before he spoke, “Deadlock like to act like they didn’t answer to anyone, but whenever Mr. Talon and that other guy came around everyone sure treated them with respect. I ah…listened in sometimes on their conversations. I was pretty high up in the gang, but even I wasn’t allowed in on every meeting that those two had and sometimes they weren’t alone with those meetings. There were others who came and they never had the meetings at the diner. Mr. Talon brought me along no matter where the meetings were—usually some fancy hotel—but he had me wait outside. It seemed like they were part of some organization and to protect their identities, they all just used the organization’s name as their own. Seems like a confusing way to do it if you ask me, but I guess it worked out for them.”

“What sort of things did you overhear? Anything useful?”

Jesse arched an eyebrow at Professor Morrison, “I heard a lot of useful things. You’ll have to be more specific than that.”

For a moment Jesse thought Professor Morrison was going to snap at him. He was silent, his lips tight.

“Do you know the name of the other person who came with Maximilien?”

“That’s one thing I don’t know. He was cautious and Maximilien kept him away from me until about a month before the aurors raided the place. Usually, when we traveled, I was just given orders to be seen and not heard, attack when commanded.”

“Why would he want you away from the others in his echelon?” Professor Morrison asked, “If you were climbing the ranks, wouldn’t it make sense for you to be introduced to the group?”

“I don’t know…back then it didn’t really bother me. The hierarchy existed for a reason and I just assumed that that guy and his friends were way above me—like, I overhear the wrong thing and I’m dead above me. Looking back though, I guess Mr. Talon—Maximilien—didn’t want him or the others to influence me, at least not until he’d finished grooming me up to be the perfect attack dog.” There was bitterness in his words.

“It seems like he failed,” Professor Morrison said, “I don’t think his ‘grooming’ had enough time to sink in—although to be fair, anyone as stubborn as you would be difficult to mold.”

Jesse stared at him, the words slowly sinking in. There hadn’t been any bite and if anything, he thought he heard a bit of admiration.

“What you’ve told me is helpful. I’ve wondered why it felt like we were chasing our tails—ah, no offense—trying to find this Talon fellow. If there’s more than one person using that alias, then we have to change our approach.”

“The way in might not be through finding the head, but starting with the different bases first. Reyes had the right idea to raid our base. A leader’s only as good as his men are.”

Professor Morrison nodded and stood up, starting to pace, “Do you know where we might be able to find some of these men?”

“I told Reyes most of the safe houses back when I was under the truth serum…but I could probably guess where they might start to build up again. There were plans in place in case our base went down…I suggested some of them.”

Jesse flinched when Professor Morrison turned and gently put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s good that you suggested some of them because now that means we can root them out easier.” Professor Morrison sighed, crouching a bit so he was now eye-level with Jesse, “Listen…you don’t need to be afraid of me, Jesse.”

“I’m not afraid of you!” Jesse immediately snapped back, but he looked away.

“Or so ashamed of what you did in the past. You’re trying to fix it. That’s all anyone can do when they make a mistake. You can’t keep beating yourself up over it though.”

“Can I ask you something?” Jesse took a breath and when he heard no protest he continued, “You get this look a lot—like you’re ready to go at me. At the dueling club, when I explained why I thought dueling would be easy for me, you seemed…”

“Concerned? Distressed?” Professor Morrison shrugged, “You’re a scary kid. I won’t sugar coat it. You have a literal beast inside of you and you proved that you could hold your own against trained aurors without using magic. Just like you’re learning to trust me, I’m learning to trust you. Does that make sense?”

When Jesse said nothing, Professor Morrison shook his head.

“Hey…Jesse. What I’m trying to get at is that I’m not out to get you. I want to work with you. You’re right—I do trust Gabe’s judgment. However, I also like to make my own calls.”

“I understand,” Jesse said, and he did.

He couldn’t fault people for being cautious and trying to make their own decisions. Hell, that was how he had lived most of his life. There were very few people he would listen to without question. At one point though, Mr. Talon had been one of them.

“What was he like?” At Jesse’s confused look, Professor Morrison went on, “This ‘Mr. Talon’ that you knew. You were obviously dedicated to him. Why?”

How did he even begin to describe Mr. Talon? Jesse shut his eyes. The image of the man hadn’t begun to fade yet. He could still see his crisp black suit and red tie, the small smirk he got whenever Jesse came up to him with good news and of course, the thinness of his lips whenever the news was bad.

“I wanted him to like me,” Jesse said quietly, “He had this aura about him. People wanted to be the best they could so he’d be proud.”

_“You’ve done well, Jesse.” The hand on his shoulder, the soft curl of the French accent that he could just barely catch. “You never let me down, kid.”_

Jesse let out a heavy sigh, opening his eyes to look out of the window.

“He never raised his voice. He didn’t need to.”

Professor Morrison squeezed his shoulder again before standing up, looking out of the window as well, “He liked you quite a bit I imagine?”

“I guess.”

Professor Morrison crossed his arms, “Well, you’ve given me a bit to think about.”

“I have? All I’ve given you is a theory and a personality profile. Not even a good one.”

“You’re telling me you couldn’t do anything with that information? I’m pretty sure you used that information to survive with the gang for as long as you did. Am I wrong?”

Jesse felt a small smile tug at his lips. He didn’t deny it.

“Go get some sleep, Jesse. You’ve helped me more than you can imagine.”

 

* * *

 

“You were up late again.”

It wasn’t a question. Hanzo looked over at Jesse with an arched eyebrow. Jesse didn’t like it. He felt like Hanzo already knew the reason for his tired eyes and constant yawns. Jesse leaned back on the grass, looking out over the lake. There was supposed to be a giant squid in it, but he had yet to see it.

“It’s the weekend, what does it matter?”

“It matters that you’re wandering around the castle at night.”

It was Jesse’s turn to arch his eyebrow, “That didn’t bother you before. What’s up, you’ve been weird all week.”

Hanzo huffed, “Nothing is up. I’m simply remembering that I have a duty as a prefect.”

“I call bullshit.”

He heard Hanzo fall back on the grass beside him and glanced over at the other boy. He’d worn his long black hair in an intricate braid today. It was practical, especially since he’d had Quidditch practice earlier. Since it was the weekend, he wasn’t wearing his robes, but rather a pair of dark jeans and a loose t-shirt with an unfamiliar logo on it. Whether Hanzo was ignoring him, or simply lost in the sea of clouds overhead, Jesse wasn’t sure.

“Is it still about the whole gun thing at the dueling club?”

Hanzo looked over at him sharply, “What?”

“It is, isn’t it?” Jesse picked at the grass, “Do you not believe me or—“

“Believe what?”

“That I never killed anyone.” _At least not as a human._ He tried not to think about what he might have done as a werewolf.

“Of course I believe you.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Hanzo sat up, “It’s just…you’ve seen a lot of bad things and done a lot of pretty bad things too. I guess it just made me reconsider some stuff.”

“Like our friendship?”

Hanzo’s seriousness dropped away and suddenly he was laughing, “Friendship?”

“Or have I been misreading all of this? I like to think I’m decent at judging relationships though.”

“You’re terrible about judging your personal relationships, but you’re not wrong.”

“About reconsidering our friendship or being friends?”

“About being friends. If we weren’t friends I wouldn’t bother wasting my time with you. You’re terrible about listening to the rules and you’re hardly a good conversationalist when it comes to our studies.”

“Gee, thanks,” Jesse said with a grin, “Glad to know where I stand.”

“I’ve been reconsidering my own situation and life. I told you before that my family is complicated. I think hearing you talk about the choices you had to make just made me realize that I have choices too in my life.”

Jesse frowned, watching Hanzo. He looked thoughtful, lost even as he looked out over the lake. The wind rolled off the lake, catching at his hair, bringing with it a breath of cool air.

“I’m here you know if you ever need to talk about those choices.” Jesse tentatively reached out, putting his hand on Hanzo’s, “I might not get family stuff, but I get having to weight two options that could both turn out shit.”

Hanzo gently pulled his hand away, only to take Jesse’s hand again, letting his fingers wrap about Jesse’s. He was silent, but Jesse understood. They were here for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha the title is a moon pun...  
> I'm terrible.
> 
> A lot of exposition this chapter. It had to be done.


	12. October's Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> October comes to Hogwarts and Jesse faces another full moon. Gabriel and Jack discuss something important.

The cloudy September gave way to a cold, blustery October. The surface of the lake had already frosted over once before the end of September, which didn’t bode well for fall and coming winter. The quidditch teams were constantly coming in from practice with chapped lips and red noses, looking both somehow miserable and elated at the same time.

The climate was different from what Jesse had grown up with. Although the temperature changed drastically in the desert, the brutal winds and cold rains at Hogwarts were gloomy and he found himself missing the sun and missing being able to go outside without having to worry about tracking in buckets of mud once he returned to the castle.

The approaching of the next full moon didn’t help his mood. Like the previous month, it was at the beginning of October, although Hanzo pointed out that this was a good thing.

“You’ll be able to attend the Halloween Feast still.”

“If I’m feeling up to it,” Jesse grumbled, not looking up from his notes.

The two were currently studying in the library, working together on their transfiguration homework.

“You’ll be what? A week off from the November full moon?”

“Four days,” Jesse sighed, finally looking up from his work, “And what’s the point anyway of going to the feast? Isn’t Halloween for little kids?”

“The feast isn’t,” Hanzo smiled, “Well, I mean, everyone’s going no matter what their age is, but what I’m trying to say is that it’s a fun event. There’s lots of different food that they normally don’t have and the Great Hall gets decorated. You have to see it.”

“Truth be told, I’ve never really ‘done’ Halloween.”

“Well we’re in the same boat then. I’ve only ever celebrated Halloween here at Hogwarts. It’s not really something that is done back home.” Hanzo smirked, “So you’re telling me you never went trick-or-treating? I thought that was something all Americans did?”

“Foster kid, remember?” Jesse brushed his hair back, rolling his eyes, “I _did_ dress up once though.”

Hanzo’s eyes widened and his smile broadened, “Oh?”

“I had a family once that lasted for a while—a few years actually. They were trying to adopt me, but the paperwork...anyway, I dressed up as Van Helsing. Not like the Van Helsing from _Dracula_ , but the sort of idealized Van Helsing?”

“So, more badass, less weird old doctor character?”

Jesse chuckled a little, “Yeah. They got me this really amazing costume. I had a toy crossbow and everything.”

Jesse’s smile faded a little as he thought about the irony of it. The popularized version of Van Helsing was a monster killer after all (although he was sure there was a version where Van Helsing became a vampire or a werewolf).

“Mr. McCree?”

Jesse turned to see Professor Amari walking over towards him and Hanzo, a small, opaque flask in her hand. She was smiling, but he could see the tension in her shoulders. _She’s probably debating whether or not to give it to me now or to ask Hanzo if her and I can speak in private._ So far as he knew, no one else was aware of the fact that Hanzo knew about his condition. Professor Amari continued to approach and gave both boys a wave.

“It’s good to see you’re both keeping up with your studies. It’s really been showing in your work, Mr. McCree.”

“What brings you to the library, professor?” Hanzo asked casually and Jesse had to resist the urge not to smirk.

“I heard that Mr. McCree wasn’t feeling well lately, so I brewed him up a little something to help. Adjusting to new climates can be a little difficult after all.”

She passed over the flask to Jesse before reaching into her cloak and pulling out two handfuls of candy, which she set down onto the books in front of Hanzo and Jesse.

“You can have this after you finish your potion. Make sure you visit me tomorrow for another dose if this one doesn’t quite do the trick.”

Hanzo was covering his mouth with one hand, clearly trying not to laugh while Professor Amari had her back turned. Jesse kicked him lightly under the table.

“Of course ma’am, and thank you for making this up.”

“It’s always my pleasure.” She turned to look back at Hanzo, “And what’s so funny, Mr. Shimada?”

Hanzo’s face went red, “It’s nothing, professor Amari. I was just thinking about something Jesse and I were talking about before you came over.”

Professor Amari looked down at him, “Is that so? Well, I’ll leave you two to it then. Who am I to interrupt what must have been a very amusing conversation about--?” she glanced down at their book, “Transfiguring things into rabbits? Don’t be tricking muggles with that magic…at least not until you’re both of age and are a bit better at lying.”

She winked at them before turning to leave. As soon as Professor Amari left the two burst into quiet laughter. It took them a while to stop and even longer for Jesse to stop bursting into slapstick giggles every time he tried to take his potion. It didn’t help that Hanzo kept picking up bits of candy every time Jesse went to take a sip and waving the candy in front of him while saying, “You can have this after you finish your potion”. Once he’d finally finished the potion and washed it down with one of the candies, Hanzo asked,

“So is Professor Reyes going to be with you tomorrow?”

“Assuming that there’s not another mass breakout at Azkaban? I think so? He hasn’t actually told me.”

“Has he still been away?”

“You mean avoiding me?”

Hanzo arched an eyebrow.

Jesse sighed, “Yeah, he’s been busy…”

“I’m sure he’s got a good reason. From what you’ve told me and from what I’ve seen in class, he doesn’t seem like the sort of person to abandon you after everything that happened.”

Jesse twirled his quill, “If you say so.”

Hanzo smiled, “You should be happy you feel this way.”

“Why?” Jesse put the quill down, “And feeling what way? I’m fine.”

“You’re upset that he hasn’t been around, which means you feel attached to him. It’s good.”

“I’d rather have him give a shit and me not feel like this.”

“Then talk to him about it,” Hanzo poked Jesse’s parchment, “After you finish your homework.”

Jesse rolled his eyes, “We’ll see.”

 

* * *

 

Gabriel could practically feel Jack’s disapproval when he came into their room, once again looking a little worse for the wear with a bloody nose and a deep, spreading bruise on his cheek.

“I’m not going to keep patching you up if you keep coming in like this.”

Gabe sat down on the bed, smirking, “Oh? You’d better apply that rule to yourself then.”

Jack ignored him and went to get a handkerchief out of the drawer, passing it over to Gabe. There was a moment of tense silence, both giving each other unspoken questions, neither willing to give answers. Finally, Jack sat down next to Gabe, stretching.

“So,” he began casually, “Are you going to be with Jesse tomorrow?”

Gabe nodded. He still felt awful for leaving Jesse the first time, but he hadn’t had any choice. It had all turned out fine in the end: he’d found Jesse curled up on the bed, asleep and unharmed. In retrospect though, he should have sent another professor to watch over Jesse. With the members of his gang on the loose, it had been extremely likely that they might have tried to come to ‘liberate’ Jesse as well during the breakout. He’d been lucky that that wasn’t the case and the gang had seemingly forgotten about Jesse.

“Why do you need to be with him though? Not saying you can’t handle one werewolf who isn’t even a grown man, but you’re putting yourself at risk for no reason. Jesse will be fine on his own. He was last time.”

“It’s not just about making sure he’s physically fine,” Gabe said, “I want to make sure he knows that I’m here for him, that I’m not just…how did he phrase it when I first brought him to Hogwarts? ‘Ditching him’.”

Jack tilted his head, frowning, “You really want to look out for this kid, don’t you?”

“I’m thinking about adopting him.”

Jack stared at him, “You’re _what_?”

“I’m thinking about adopting him,” Gabe repeated, laughing a little, “I know it sounds crazy, but I think it’ll help him to recover if he has a stable family situation?”

“Because your life is so stable,” Jack shook his head, “Gabe, we don’t have the finances to support him. Where will he live during the summer? He can’t stay here with us. We’d have to find a place in Hogsmeade or—I don’t know. Besides, they’ll never let you adopt him while you’re still with Blackwatch.”

Gabe paused at this. “Well…we still have time until summer comes.”

“What’s summer got to do with it?”

“If I don’t take him in, he’ll be sent god knows where when summer comes and you honestly think he’ll stick around? He’ll run.”

“You’ve already helped him just by getting him out of that gang. There’s only so much you can do, Gabe. Holding his hand isn’t going to help him.”

He sighed, looking down, “I know…someone’s got to be there for him though, Jack. He doesn’t have anyone else.”

“He still has you, even if you don’t adopt him. Look, I get it, I really do, but you can’t go making a big decision like that without thinking about it, especially given his situation.”

He’d already made up his mind though. He thought—no, _knew_ —that Jesse could be amazing if given the chance. He’d bring Jack around, somehow.

 

* * *

 

Jesse was halfway down to the whomping willow when he heard someone calling his name. He half expected it to be Hanzo, even though he’d told Hanzo to wait for a while before coming down just in case if a professor decided to check on him. Instead of seeing Hanzo heading across the grounds though he saw Reyes. He had a heavy cloak on and what looked like a bag slung over one shoulder.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have work or something?” Reyes continued walking towards the whomping willow, forcing Jesse to hurry after him, “Wait, Reyes!”

“We can talk once we’re at the shack, alright?”

Jesse huffed, “Oh come on. I’ve got this, Reyes. Go do your job or whatever.”

Still Reyes was heading for the tree, pausing only to levitate a stick towards the knot that would briefly paralyze it so they could head safely down the tunnel. Reyes went through first and Jesse reluctantly followed, wondering just what was going on. It wasn’t as though Reyes had been showing him any interest beyond what any other student got lately. They hardly ever spoke outside of class and Jesse was starting to get the feeling that he’d just become another checked box for the auror. It probably hadn’t helped that Jesse had been avoiding eye contact with Reyes ever since his meeting with Jack out of fear that Reyes would find out.

Once they were in the shack, Reyes set down his bag in the living room. It hit the floor with a dull thud. He then took off his cloak before heading over to the fireplace, where he started to build up a fire with a spell and some wood stacked at the bottom of the mantel (Jesse couldn’t remember if the wood had been there before).

“Reyes, what are you doing here?”

“I promised you before that I’d be here when you changed.”

Jesse crossed his arms, “I appreciate the gesture, but I’m fine. You don’t need to bother yourself with this.”

“But I do, Jesse.” Reyes turned, crossing his arms as well, “I shouldn’t have left you alone the first time.”

“It’s not your job to look after me. You got me out of the gang and to Hogwarts; I can handle things from here on my own.”

“Can you?”

“Yes, I can!”

He hadn’t meant to shout. Jesse turned away, looking towards the stairs, trying to think of where he could go to wait for his transformation. He felt a bit like a cornered dog. It had never bothered him to change in front of other gang members and he’d only worried about changing in front of Hanzo because he’d feared for his safety. The stigma of everything was starting to get to him and despite his frustration towards Reyes, he still didn’t want the other to see him change. Reyes had never been around for one of his transformations—hell, the only person outside of the gang who had seen him was Hanzo. They weren’t pretty to watch and he felt vulnerable during the shift. He didn’t like for people to see him like that.

Jesse started to pace, irritated from his own indecision and Reyes’ sudden intervention. He just wanted to be alone, or with someone he could trust—he paused. Did he not trust Reyes anymore? _Stop it, Jesse. This is the beast talking._ He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

“Jesse?” Reyes stayed near the fire. He’d uncrossed his arms, letting them hang loose by his sides. “You’re angry and I understand. Ever since the breakout I’ve been away doing work with Blackwatch. I didn’t want you to ask about it or get swept up in it all again though.”

“But I am involved with it, whether you tell me about it or not.” Jesse ran a hand through his hair, pacing again, “It was my life, Reyes. Keeping me in the dark about it doesn’t help me ‘move on’ or whatever it is you’re hoping for.”

“Dwelling on it doesn’t help either though. You need start distancing yourself from it.”

“That’s not going to help me and you know it.”

Reyes was silent for a moment. The crackling of the fire filled the space until he finally said, “You know, the girl you protected? Amélie? She asked about you the last time I saw her. She was at the ministry with her father.”

Jesse almost asked ‘what’s that got to do with anything’, but it was the first time he’d heard anyone bring up Amélie since her rescue.

“She knew that you were part of that gang. Knew what you became every month. And you know what? She didn’t care. She kept calling you a ‘hero’ and wanted to make sure you were doing well.”

“What did you tell her?”

“The truth. That you’re making friends and doing well with your classes. That you’re starting to smile.” Reyes broke the distance between them and gently put his hands on Jesse’s shoulders, “Do you understand now why I’ve been trying to keep you away while I work on things with Blackwatch? I want you to start living, Jesse. You can’t do that if you keep getting sucked into the past. Maybe I went about it the wrong way and kept you too far, but I promise you, Jesse. I want to see you succeed. I want you to be happy.”

Jesse couldn’t meet his eyes. His throat felt tight and he had to fight to keep his words steady.

“But why? Why do you care about me?”

Reyes chuckled, “Kid, you amazed me when we first met—and I’m not talking about your skills. You protected Amélie and tried to help her escape, knowing full well that your superiors might kill you for it and even after you failed to help her escape you still kept trying to protect her. You’re a good kid, Jesse, whether you want to believe it or not. And what can I say? You amuse me.”

Jesse arched an eyebrow, “What? How am I amusing? I’m pretty sure Morrison must tell you that I’m a pain in the ass most of the time.”

“Eh, that’s part of your charm.” Reyes ruffled Jesse’s hair, “I’m serious though, Jesse. I believe in you, so maybe give me another chance?”

“Gah! Fine, alright, alright!”

He tried to straighten his (still) messy hair, smiling, somewhat to his surprise. The smile quickly fell though as a ray of moonlight fell through the slit in the boarded up window, drawing his focus.

“Jesse? Hey, you with me?”

Jesse gave a vague nod, but as he did he felt the jolt and gasped. Just as he started to fall, Reyes grabbed him, easing him down.

“It’s ok, I’ve got you.”

Jesse held onto Reyes’ arm until the bones in his hand started to shift. It was just as painful as before, but like before, he had someone with him, their touch never wavering. When the change ended, Jesse remained on the ground, curled up.

“Well, that was a bit more than I thought it would be. I’ve fought werewolves before but never had to watch them change. You ok, kid?”

Jesse huffed, giving a small nod. Reyes stood up and went over to the bag he’d brought, kneeling down beside it. Jesse got to his feet and walked over, resisting the urge to start trying to paw through the bag.

“I figured you must have been pretty bored last time, being here alone with nothing to do and no one to talk to.” He pulled out a few books from the bag, “So I thought I could help you get in a little bit of extra study time. We’re here for the night anyway.”

Jesse wanted to laugh. Reyes was the last professor he would have expected to try to force him to do extra studying. Reyes wasn’t the sort of teacher who liked book learning. He spent most of his classes doing practical demonstrations while telling stories about how he used the spell in the past with his work as an auror.

“I know it’s not fun—I can practically feel your lack of enthusiasm. But unfortunately, this is about all we can do to pass the time. I think you’ll enjoy this book though.”

Jesse looked at the book he held out and scoffed a little at the title, _Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks_.

“Oh I know the title is stupid, but there are some great jinxes and fun spells in here. I think I used a few of these on Jack back before we were dating in dueling club.”

Jesse somewhat reluctantly went and sat down next to Reyes, curling up beside him. He gave his tail a small wag, trying to indicate that he was willing to listen. He didn’t know much about Reyes’ life beyond the work he’d done as an auror, and he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to learn more about it.

Reyes flipped through the book, pausing on the charm, which apparently caused uncontrollable laughter.

“So dueling club is usually pretty serious, right? I know Jack runs it that way anyway. All business and practice, no goofing off. Well, it was like that when I was studying too. The professor who hosted the dueling club was just as stiff as Jack, but far less entertaining. We got put together in pairs to practice one night and I got paired with Jack. Other than Ana, no one had managed to beat him—and see back then, I thought he was pretty annoying. He was Mr. Perfect Prefect, couldn’t do anything wrong. Hell, even after dueling all night or playing quidditch, he always managed to look like he’d just been done up for a photo shoot.”

Reyes’s cheeks darkened a little before he continued,

“Anyway, he goes and gets ready for a jinx, thinking I’m going to go all in at the start like I usually do and instead I cast this stupid charm. He immediately falls over laughing. See, here’s the think about Jack you probably don’t realize. He never really laughed. He was so damn focused on class all of the time and his goal of being an auror that he never really let himself go, so when the rest of the club heard him laughing, all hell broke loose. Everyone was laughing.”

Reyes flipped through the book as he continued. Jesse wished he could make proper expressions. He wanted to grin and laugh, to protest when Reyes said how Jack was even remotely similar to him.

“Now I know what you’re thinking—‘how could a stupid spell like that be useful though in the real world?’. Well, you might be happy to hear this. I used that spell on one of your old gang members who escaped. They had the same reaction when they saw me that Jack did in that duel. They expected something forceful, so when I used a charm instead, they didn’t know how to react.”

Reyes spend the next few hours talking to Jesse almost as if he were in class, giving stories for each spell that he told him about before demonstrating the motions and incantations for them.

“It’s too bad you can’t practice them right now, but you can show me how much you remember once you’ve recovered from your shift.”

Jesse groaned as if to say, ‘Don’t I have enough homework?’

Reyes scratched the top of his head, then quickly stopped and pulled his hand away, looking mortified, “You’re not a—I apologize.”

Jesse was too stunned to do anything more than just stare at him for a moment. He gave a small wag of his tail to try to let Reyes know it was ok and that he wasn’t completely offended, but Reyes was already getting up, stretching as he did.

“I guess I’ve stayed long enough. You’ve still got about six hours before sunrise, but it’s about time you got some sleep and I—“

Jesse grabbed at the end of Reyes’ robe, tugging at them and whining.

“You don’t want me to leave?”

He tugged again on the robes and sat down, looking pointedly at Reyes. Reyes seemed to relax and he gave Jesse a small smile before sitting beside him again.

“Alright, alright. Man, you’re giving me a long night, you know that?”

He did and he didn’t care. If Reyes wanted him to trust him, then he had to do this. Jesse thought about what Hanzo had said the previous day and he knew he was right. He was attached to Reyes, whether he was willing to admit it or not.

The night wore slowly on, the heat and soft crackling of the fire soon replacing Reyes’ quiet solo conversations. The warmth lulled Jesse to sleep and when he eventually woke near dawn, his transformation reverting, he found that Reyes was still there, awake by his side.

As Reyes carefully wrapped him up into a blanket, scooping him up and heading for the tunnel entrance, Jesse felt sleep once more drawing him back down, but before he could shut his eyes, he had to say at least one thing—he had to make sure that he understood.

“Thank you, Gabe…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief note about the moon timeline: I tried to make sure that the timing of the full moons were accurate for this fic. I aligned them to match the 2017 moon calendar.


	13. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween~!

When Jesse woke, Gabriel was sitting by his bedside just like the last time. He was once again in the hospital wing, but he wasn’t too bothered by it. If anything, he felt content. When was the last time that he’d felt this at ease? Perhaps during the first week with the Deadlock Gang, before they’d turned him, or maybe it was with one of the foster families he’d stayed at for longer than usual? At the very least he knew it had been a few years. Looking over at Gabriel, Jesse guessed he had the same feeling. He looked peaceful while he was sleeping, all of the worry mitigated from his expression. Even the scars seemed less harsh. Did this man really care about him this much? Jesse felt a small knot of anxiety and he forced himself to take a deep breath. It was like Hanzo had said: this was good. It meant he was starting to trust and open up.

Jesse heard the door to the hospital wing open and expected to see the nurse, but instead saw Angela coming in with Fareeha, who was cradling her arm close. _Broken_ , Jesse noted, also noticing that they were both in quidditch robes.

“Don’t worry, Fareeha, you’ll be patched up in no time. Ich bin da,” Angela smiled up at Fareeha before glancing over at Jesse and Gabriel, “Jesse? What are you doing here?”

Gabriel woke with a start, his woozy eyes taking a moment to register the situation, “Quidditch injury?”

Angela looked curiously between the ragged Gabriel and Jesse, who was still in bed and dressed in his nightclothes.

“Well, yes. Have you seen the nurse?”

“She should be coming back shortly. I believe she went to restock supplies at Hogsmeade. I can go get Professor Morrison though if you don’t want to wait too long.”

Angela nodded, “If you don’t mind?”

“I’m fine—“ Fareeha began, but Gabriel was already getting up.

“I’m sure you are, but the last thing I want is Ana chewing me out for not getting her kid patched up.”

Gabriel looked down at Jesse and to his surprised, ruffled his hair. Jesse stared at him, keenly aware of Angela and Fareeha’s gaze. Gabriel just grinned down at him before turning to leave, whistling to himself as he left.

Angela helped Fareeha to a bed before addressing Jesse once again, “So what _are_ you doing here? You looked fine when I saw you in the library yesterday with Hanzo.”

“I got one of those 24-hour bugs. Not fun.”

“The nurse could have just used a—“

“She wanted to keep an eye on me to make sure I was fine,” Jesse pressed, looking away.

Angela narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but Fareeha spoke up,

“You do look like you’ve had a rough time and you weren’t in the dorm last night. Were you here all night? Didn’t you sleep at all?”

“It was a long night.”

Fareeha grinned, “Well I’m glad Professor Reyes stayed with you then. He’s your guardian, right?”

“Something like that…” Jesse mumbled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, “He’s the one who brought me here to Hogwarts so I guess so.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know what it’s like. It’s a bit weird having a _parent_ at school with you.”

“He’s not my—“

Angela chuckled, “Oh stop teasing him, Fareeha, or should I tell the story about the time your mom—“

“Don’t you dare!” Fareeha cried, “You swore to never bring it up!”

The hospital wing door opened with a creak and the group stopped when they heard laughter—coming from Morrison and Gabe. The two stopped laughing when they came in, but there was no denying what they had heard. Jesse arched an eyebrow at Gabe, who gave him a small shrug.

“I’m surprised you didn’t want to fix him up, Ms. Ziegler. You’re studying to be a healer, correct? I saw that you were planning to try to take some of your tests early?”

Angela flushed and nodded at Morrison, “I am, yes. I am hoping to graduate before my seventh year so I can get an apprenticeship.”

“Would you like to practice?”

“Professor I haven’t even—“

“Don’t worry, I’m supervising. If you were any other student I wouldn’t suggest it, but you’re a natural with healing magic.”

Gabriel paled a bit, “I’m all for students practicing, but Ana—“

“Trusts Ms. Ziegler and has been tutoring her since she was a first year.”

Fareeha nudged Angela with her good arm, “Come on, I know you’ve got this. You’ve already done this before for Genji.”

Angela turned even redder at Morrison’s curious glance, “Genji—erm, Mr. Shimada, broke his finger the other day during practice and I decided that it would be alright to assist with a minor break like that.”

“He wouldn’t stop whining for Angela to heal him,” Fareeha said simply, “’I need healing’ he kept crying, but he didn’t want to go all the way up to the castle.”

Jesse snickered. He’d heard about the incident from Hanzo. Hanzo was always going on about how his brother didn’t handle injuries well. Apparently, he had a fear of the hospital wing, but was absolutely fine with healing spells. From what Jesse had gathered, this wasn’t the first time Angela had patched up Genji.

“Well then, Ms. Ziegler, go ahead and show us what you can do.”

“Come on, Jesse,” Gabriel said, lightly putting a hand on Jesse’s shoulder, “let’s leave them be. No need to put her under more pressure with by giving her an audience. Are you well enough to walk?”

Angela gave Gabriel a silent look of thanks. She seemed nervous, but Jesse could also see the underlying confidence in her as she took her wand out of her robe, her hand never wavering. Morrison took out his wand as well, explaining that he would demonstrate the motions and incantation first and have her repeat to check that she was doing the spell correctly before they actually moved on to treating Fareeha. Jesse had to give it to Fareeha—she had an incredible tolerance for pain. She sat on the bed, completely calm, a smile of support on her lips as she watched Angela, all of her attention on her.

While Morrison checked Angela’s spellwork, Jesse got out of bed and grabbed the spare robes that were sitting out. He’d get changed back in the dorm. For now, he just tossed the robes on over his pajamas and slipped on his boots.

“Quite the ensemble,” Gabriel chuckled, “Please tell me you’re not going to put on your hat too with that?”

He hadn’t planned on it, but as soon as Gabriel said it Jesse picked up the hat and stuck it on his head. “Hell yeah I am.”

Gabriel shook his head at Jesse as the two left the hospital wing. As they headed out, Jesse looked briefly back at Angela, giving her a quick thumbs up. It was a cheesy gesture…he liked it.

 

It was a quiet walk back to the Gryffindor common room. They ran into a few students (who stared and laughed at Jesse’s clothing choice), but for the most part, it seemed like everyone was in class still. Jesse gathered that it was around three in the afternoon. He’d slept almost the entire day away. _Not just me_ , he thought, glancing over at Gabriel. He wondered if another professor had covered his classes for him while he’d rested and watched over Jesse.

Gabriel saw him all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

“Well, go get some rest. You’re going to have a lot of work to make up for missing class today, but I’m sure the professors will be lenient.”

“Including you?” Jesse asked with a smirk.

“Well, you did spend extra time studying last night, so who am I to scold you?” Gabriel put a hand on Jesse’s shoulder, “I was serious last night. I do want to see you succeed.”

“I know…” Jesse said, looking down, “I’m trying. I’ll get all of my work done.”

“I’m not just talking about succeeding with school stuff. I hope you know that.”

“I do. Thanks, Gabe.”

Gabriel let go of his shoulder before heading off, grumbling loudly about having his own work to catch up with now. Jesse watched him leave before turning back to the portrait and heading into the common room.

* * *

 

Jesse couldn’t believe that Hanzo had convinced him to do this. He stood together with Genji, Fareeha, Angela, and Hanzo in one of the spare classrooms, finishing up their final preparations for Halloween. Angela had cast a mirror in front of them on one of the desks and Genji and Fareeha had brought makeup. It had been Hanzo who’d brought the costumes.

“Pass me that grey body paint, Hanzo? I still look too alive.”

“And my servants can’t look alive!” Angela laughed, wrapping her arms around Fareeha, “You look amazing! Why don’t you wear purple more often?”

“I always thought blue was more my color,” Fareeha replied.

Jesse adjusted his hat, the only familiar thing about his costume. The rest of it was a rather ornate, yet strangely weather-worn old-fashioned costume that reminded him a little bit of a 19th-century noble trying to be a cowboy. Hanzo came over and fussed with his hair, taking one of his own hair ties to pull back Jesse’s hair.

“Hang on, your bandana’s gotten all scrunched up too.”

“I still can’t believe you convinced me to do this,” Jesse grumbled, shaking his head.

“You got off easy,” Genji said with a grin, “At least Hanzo didn’t try to get you to dress like a demon too. Do you know how long it took me to get all of that body paint done on Hanzo?”

“Nearly as long as it took me to make _your_ mask, Genji.”

“Come on. Admit it, Jesse, you look awesome.”

Jesse looked at himself again in the mirror. Well, he had to admit…he did look kind of cool. Angela and Hanzo had come over to the Gryffindor table a week ago with a bag full of costumes (Angela said something about getting them from the Room of Requirement—whatever that was) and a plan: they were going to dress up for Halloween. It wasn’t something that was normally done, but they thought it would be a fun surprise for all of the first years and their classmates if they went all out this year.

“Normally we just help with the decorations,” Angela had explained, “But Hanzo suggested we try something new this year.”

Hanzo hadn’t even looked guilty. He'd just smirked at Jesse.

In the end, they’d split up the costumes and decided who would be what. Fareeha was a zombie, Hanzo and Genji were demons (Genji said he was specifically an ‘Oni’), and Angela was a cliché witch (“It’s funny, right? Because we’re witches and wizards and—see, you’re laughing too Jesse!”). At first, Angela had suggested that Jesse be a monster too and mentioned maybe being a vampire or werewolf, but Hanzo had quickly jumped in, suggesting he be Van Helsing instead.

The costumes really were amazing. His costume would have been incredibly expensive if it hadn’t been provided by magic. They all looked like characters out of a movie or a game. _Magic is kind of cool sometimes…I guess._

“Ok, are we all ready?”

Genji wrapped his arms around Hanzo, “Yup! Lead the way, Angela!”

 

 

They’d purposefully waited to go down to the Great Hall until they were sure most students were already at the feast. The plan was for Angela to go in first and with a spell effect ‘summon’ the rest of them. Jesse bit his lower lip, a little reluctant. Hanzo came over beside him, taking his left hand.

“Don’t think too much about it. Just have fun.” Hanzo smirked, “Trust me, when you have a brother like Genji, you just start to accept these things and enjoy them.”

“Is that so?” Jesse took a deep breath, “Well…only reason I’m doing this is because you are. Figured I wouldn’t care if I looked silly as long as you were there too.”

From inside of the Great Hall, they heard Angela shout, “My servants never die!”, which was followed by a bright yellow light. 

“Well, that’s our cue!” Jesse said, his hand still in Hanzo’s, “Come on, time to make an appearance.”

Jesse led Hanzo into the Great Hall just as the light from Angela’s spell ended. Students laughed and cheered when they saw the group. At the front, Jesse could see the professors standing and clapping. To his surprise and confusion, he noticed that Professor Reinhardt, Morrison, Amari, and Gabriel were absent from the table.

“Look at the first years,” he heard Hanzo say, “They’re loving it!”

The group went to sit at the Gryffindor table (as usual, despite house differences). Lena was dying of laughter, asking Genji why he hadn’t let her in on the show. Genji continued to stay in character, even though the show was over. He kept drawing his fake swords, dashing towards some of the kids who came close even after Angela chided him for it. A few of the first years came up to Angela and Fareeha who both had little magical goodies to share. Hanzo sat down beside Jesse, smiling somewhat smugly at him.

“See? Not so bad.”

“No, I guess it wasn’t,” Jesse agreed, “I still can’t believe you convinced me to do this.”

“I hardly had to try. I think you _wanted_ to dress up again.”

Jesse rolled his eyes, “Oh come on, you practically begged me to join…but I’m glad you did.”

Hanzo stared at him in disbelief, “Wait, I got you to admit—“

Suddenly, almost all of the candles went out and the students heard an echoey voice shout through the Great Hall.

"Our tale begins in Adlersbrunn, where the lord of the castle has called for heroes to come to his aid, and defend him against the mad Dr. Junkenstein!”

At the professor’s table, one of the chairs abruptly lit up with a bright blue flame and the voice continued to narrate as Professor Morrison, dressed up as a ghoul, came and stood at his chair.

"The nameless soldier, veteran of countless battles."

The next chair lit up and Professor Amari stepped up, dressed up as a pirate.

“The reclusive alchemist, skilled in the healing arts.”

The chair beside Morrison’s, which was usually Gabriel’s, lit up a figure dressed as the headless horseman stepped up to it. Where the figure’s head would have been, a pumpkin now sat. It would have looked silly, if not for the eerie light that seemed to burn from within it and around the edges of the costume. 

“The reaper, once cursed and bound to serve as a servant to the Witch of the Wild, now turned against her.”

And then finally, a giant man dressed in silver armor that seemed to be linked together with blue flames stepped up to the front. His face, wreathed in the same flame, was revealed to be professor Reinhardt.

“And finally the great warrior lord, sworn to protect his castle!”

There was an explosion from the door and to everyone’s surprise, Jamison Fawkes came running into the Great Hall dressed as a mad scientist. 

“Well, that’s a perfect casting,” Jesse half shouted to Hanzo over a clap of magical thunder, “We had to evacuate the Gryffindor common room during his last potion experiment.”

Jamison ran all the way up to the front where the teachers were and then turned back to the students and started to lob what first appeared to be grenades at the students, but as they exploded in the air, candy fell from them. As soon as he threw the last grenade he did a final lap around the Great Hall before sitting with the rest of the Gryffindors. The rest of the Professors sat down except for Professor Amari.

“Now we can let the feast properly begin!” she said, and with a wave of her wand, the hall lit up with hundreds of jack-o-lanterns. The platters filled with sweets and candy of every kind imaginable and pitchers of different drinks filled to the brim.

The rest of the night passed by in a blur of sugary sweetness and laughter. Jesse ended up playing along with Hanzo, Genji, Angela, and Fareeha when the professors came over, pretending to try to ‘vanquish’ them, much to the amusement of the other students. This battle became a little absurd once Jamison came over and started to lob more candy grenades at the professors. At one point, Gabriel tried to stick his pumpkin hat onto Jesse, but before he could Lena ran over and snatched it up, sticking it onto her own head.

It was a good night, a silly and playful one that would stand out as a light in Jesse’s mind during the difficult times to come…


	14. Winter's First Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse and Hanzo meet someone unexpected at the shack.

“So Gabe said he has to leave again tonight…”

Hanzo glanced over at Jesse. The two were sitting together in what had once been a disused classroom. Hanzo, Angela, Genji, Lena, and Fareeha had transformed it over the years into a comfortable study room for the mixed-house group to work together in. Comfy armchairs, tables, and workspaces made of pushed together desks had been set up in the room. It had a warm, cozy feeling to it thanks to the drapes and gentle fire that was humming in the fireplace near the front of the room. Jesse had only recently been introduced to the study room and this was the first time he’d ever come to it with just Hanzo. He’d suggested it after he noticed Jesse becoming irritated in the library, his pre-transformation anxiety getting to him. It had taken a bit of coaxing, but eventually, Hanzo had dragged him to the study room, sat him down with a cup of tea, and forced them to play a game of chess to get his mind off of everything. In theory, it had been a good idea.

“Oh? I thought he was going to accompany you for now on?” Hanzo moved his rook, “Is Professor Morrison going to join you then?”

“They’re both going on some sort of mission with Blackwatch—Professor Amari too. I heard they’ve got a huge lead on something. Normally Morrison wouldn’t join, but apparently, it’s an all hands on deck sort of mission.”

Hanzo frowned, “Does it have something to do with Talon?”

“They wouldn’t tell me, but I have my suspicions that it does.”

He didn’t mention that before Morrison left earlier, he’d pulled him aside to ask about some of the strategies of the Deadlock gang—essentially proof that it was a mission related to his past.

“It’s not like you could help today, not with your transformation.”

Jesse moved his pawn, “But I’ve been taking those potions. I have my own mind when I change—I could be useful. They just won’t let me.”

Hanzo sighed, “We’ve talked about this before. It’s better that you don’t get involved with that group anymore. You need to move on.”

Jesse almost snapped that Hanzo didn’t understand, but he bit his tongue, keeping himself in check. _That’s the beast talking._ Hanzo was right. Gabe was right. If he wanted to help, he needed to learn how to use the gifts he’d been given so that way when he graduated from Hogwarts he could take a job with the Ministry as an Auror.

“Huh…it’s snowing.”

Jesse glanced out of the window, “I heard one of the ghosts saying that winter is coming early this year.”

“At least the shack has a fire to keep us warm.”

Jesse looked back to Hanzo, arching an eyebrow with a smirk, “Us? You’re going to come tonight then?”

“None of the professors will be there, right?”

“Not to my knowledge. Professor Reinhardt might come to check up on me, but I’ll hear him coming if he does.”

“No offense to him, but he is rather noticeable, wolf-hearing or not.”

“Before he comes to check though, I have something I want to do.”

Hanzo tilted his head curiously.

“I want to run.”

There was a very long pause.

“Jesse, you can’t mean that you want to leave the shack?”

“Of course that’s what I mean! I’m safe with that potion that Professor Amari gives, so why not stretch my legs? I’ll just do a quick dash through the forest or maybe we can sneak out of the shack and head to the woods next to the town the shack’s in—“

“You can’t! You’re a werewolf and doing that could endanger yourself and others!”

Jesse stared at him, brown eyes widening, “What—Hanzo, I thought you would understand! Come on, it’ll be fine! I won’t go into town or anything! Just a quick exploratory dash around the area. You’ll be with me so it’ll be fine.”

“I understand that you think it’ll be fine and that you’ll be safe to others, but there’s no telling how other people will react to you if you’re caught! And what happens if you are caught and they report the incident to the school? Did you consider that?”

“What do you mean?” Jesse asked, taken aback.

“You know how many strings that Professor Reyes probably had to pull to get you enrolled? There’s still a stigma against werewolves, despite the advancements in treatment. Parents would go after the school if you ‘got loose’ and if that happens, who do you think will lose their job at the school and the Ministry?”

Jesse deflated a bit. He looked back out of the window, watching the snowfall. It was getting heavier now. He realized with a small start that it was the first time he’d seen snow that he could remember.

“Hanzo…please? I won’t go out long—we’ll wait until night settles. Just…please. I want to run again.”

He glanced back to Hanzo. The other boy pursed his lips and fidgeted with one of the chess pieces.

“I have to be with you and it has to be at least a few hours after sunset. And you can’t run too far from me. Agreed?”

Jesse practically leaped out of his chair to hug Hanzo. The other boy went stiff under his embrace, just as shocked as Jesse was for initiating it. Jesse almost immediately pulled away, shoulders hunching up, face turning red.

“Sorry. Got a bit too excited. You know how it is…”

“I didn’t realize this meant so much to you.”

“It’s hard to explain, but…yeah.”

Hanzo turned his attention back to the chessboard. He picked up the rook again and after a quick thought, moved it.

“Checkmate. You left the king open with that last move.” He smirked, “I guess you were distracted?”

 

* * *

 

The snow was still coming down in heavy tufts when Jesse and Hanzo made their way down to the whomping willow. Jesse would have suggested that Hanzo wait before heading down, but the air was so thick with snow that it would be impossible for anyone to see Hanzo trailing behind him unless they too were within about ten feet of them. It made the going slow and Jesse worried that they were going to miss the transformation window, leaving him to change out in the snow. Thankfully, they made it through the whomping willow’s hidden passage and into the shack just as the change struck him. Like before, Hanzo remained at his side until the change was complete. Almost immediately Jesse headed over to the boarded up door, sitting down next to it.

“No. It’s still too early—and I know exactly what you’re thinking,” Hanzo put on a Southern accent and picked up Jesse’s now abandoned hat, “’But it’s so snowy out, no one will see us now’. No. I told you my conditions.”

Jesse huffed, annoyed. Hanzo did a good impression of him. He was just about to stand up and move back over towards Hanzo when there was a loud bang as something slammed into the door. Jesse turned to face the door, a deep growl echoing through him. Hanzo came running up next to him, wand out. He gently grabbed the scruff of Jesse’s neck, trying to lightly tug him back.

The door shook again as something, or someone slammed into it. Jesse edged back, keeping himself pressed up next to Hanzo. Given how loud the noise was, the door should have broken. _It must be enchanted. No wonder they locked me in here! I_ can’t _bust out of this place!_ He didn’t have time to be annoyed though. They had bigger concerns such as who was trying to break in and why. Gabe had never said what to do in a situation like this. _Why would he have to though? I can handle this_.

“Jesse, you didn’t hear or smell anyone?”

He realized with a start that he hadn’t. He looked back up to Hanzo and was startled to see the eerie calm that had taken over his friend’s face. It was a familiar expression, one that he’d worn on his own face too many times. He didn’t like seeing it on Hanzo.

“Let’s backtrack to the tunnel—we can go back to Hogwarts. You’ll have to hide outside while I run in to tell the professors.”

There was no chance to protest the plan. The door burst open with a bright burst of orange light and a shower of splintered wood. Hanzo quickly cast a shielding spell, which went up just in time to block a stunner that went whizzing towards them.

“I should have known Reyes would set you up with a guard.” It was a deep, almost soothing voice.

Jesse felt his hackles stand on end. He knew that voice. _No, it can’t be—this is bad!_

A giant, dark man stepped into the shack. He was dressed smartly. Beneath his thickly quilted winter coat, Jesse saw a well-made suit of some sort. The man regarded both of them with a cool, calculating gaze.

“No, not a guard it seems. Just another student. I’ll admit, I am impressed, Jesse. It was wise of you to make friends with someone from the Shimada family. Maximilien taught you well.”

Jesse pushed himself forward, moving between the man and Hanzo. How did this man know who Hanzo was?

“Unfortunately for you, I will not back down simply because you have allied yourself with their family. I am sure your father will understand as well, Hanzo. Should you survive this test, you will be stronger.”

 _Survive?_ Jesse wasn’t aware of jumping, of letting out a deep snarl as he attacked the man. His teeth sank into the thick fabric on the man’s wand arm, finally coming to rest on something hard and metallic. Armor?

“You dogs are all the same. This is why the Deadlock Gang fell. This is why they will be forgotten. I had hoped you would be different.”

With his free hand, the man grabbed onto Jesse’s maw and pried him off, tossing him aside with inhuman strength. Jesse slammed into one of the rickety chairs, which shattered from the impact.

“Jesse!”

He wasn’t done yet. He had made up his mind. He needed to give Hanzo time to run, which meant being the distraction. Jesse fully intended to launch himself again and again at the man, whether it ended with his capture or death, so long as it meant that Hanzo could get away. Jesse pulled himself to his feet and charged again. Part of him wondered, vaguely, if he’d ever done this before—had he fought in this form? Attacked a human being? Purposely tried to sink his teeth into their flesh? The potion would make him safe to be around…it wouldn’t make people immune to his bite. _I don’t intend to let him get away._ It was a terrifying thought, one that he was sure had never passed through his mind, at least not with such deadly intention.

As he launched himself at the man, he was once again grabbed, this time around the neck. Jessed squirmed, trying to claw or bite at the man, but he held him firm with almost no effort.

“So…you will not rise up above your instinct, even with that potion?”

 _Don’t you talk down to me!_ Jesse thought and twisted just enough to break free.

“Jesse run! The door!”

Hanzo had managed to run past while the man had been distracted by Jesse—no, not distracted. He knew better. The man was playing with them. _Let him play. We’ll be long gone!_ Jesse sprinted under the man’s legs and ran for the door, passing through with Hanzo at his side.

“Just stay close to me and don’t go too fast! We can lose him in the storm!”

They both ran, Jesse going as fast as Hanzo permitted. It was slow going. The snow was now up to Hanzo’s knees and even Jesse was having trouble getting on top of the snow to trudge through it. They couldn’t hear or see any sight of the man behind him, but that didn’t mean anything. He could barely see Hanzo in the blur of snow. With the onslaught of snow, his senses were practically useless as well, especially since the wind was coming towards them. He wouldn’t be able to hear or smell the man if—when—he snuck up on them. It was only a matter of time before he found them.

“We’ll find a place to hide in the woods and send an owl in the morning if Reyes hasn’t come for us by then!” Hanzo half-shouted over the din.

Something bright red flew past, just barely missing Hanzo’s head by mere inches. The two turned to see that the man was already closing in again. Hanzo turned and held up his wand, but Jesse knew the look in the man’s eyes, knew what was coming even though he was unfamiliar with the incantation itself. Shield spells couldn’t block everything. Reyes told him that once.

Jesse knocked Hanzo over just as the man’s spell shattered the shield and the next thing Jesse knew, he was flying backward, tumbling through the snow. His front left leg ached with a sharp, intense pain that seemed to radiate through the limb all the way up to his shoulder, but as soon as he stopped tumbling he was trying to stand again…only to realize he couldn’t. He stumbled forward, falling back down into the snow.

He could just barely make out two figures, one coming closer. _Hanzo?_ The other boy grabbed onto him and suddenly he felt the strangest sensation, just as everything went black. He felt like he’d been thrown underwater. A pressure built up in his skull and he couldn’t breathe. Then, there was a pop and he gasped as the moonlight returned. He filled up his lungs with air, blinking wildly as he tried to reorient himself.

It was still snowing, but softer. There was a thick layer of powder on the ground beneath him, acting like a cushion.

“I think we’re safe now. Jesse? Oh no….Jesse!”

He realized Hanzo was next to him and for some reason, the other boy was yanking off his cloak and wrapping it around his aching front limb. The snow was an odd color, he noticed. It was bright burgundy and to his confusion, the color seemed to be spreading.

“Hey, can you hear me? Jesse say something!”

The color was taking over his vision and dimly, he was aware of the edges becoming dark. Soon, it overtook him.


	15. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyes, Morrison, and Amari start to search for Hanzo and Jesse. Hanzo tries to figure out a plan.

Gabriel stormed back up to the castle. Dawn had broken and Jesse was nowhere to be found in the shack. The door was shattered inward. There were flecks of blood on the floor.

Gabriel’s worst fear had come true.

 _I should have been there with him! We should have known it was a false lead!_ He chastised himself and his own stupidity over and over as he went down to the dungeons. Ana and Jack looked up as he rushed into the potions classroom, the door slamming to announce his entrance.

“Gabe—“

“He’s gone. Ana the wards weren’t defective—they were shattered. He’s gone!”

Gabriel grabbed onto one of the desks. He covered his face, forcing himself to take deep breaths—but what was he supposed to do? Who knew how long Jesse had been gone for? The trail was probably already cold and it would take weeks, if not longer to track him down again.

He buried his face into Jack’s shoulder as the man came over to him, wrapping his arms around him.

“We’ll find him, Gabe. Hey…look at me.” Jack pulled away just a bit and cupped Gabriel’s cheek, “He’s a smart kid. You’re always saying that. Even if he can’t get away himself, he’ll find a way to get a message to us.”

“No, he won’t. If…when he gets away he won’t come back. He trusted me Jack and I promised I would be there for him. I promised him he’d be safe here.”

Ana came over with a cup of tea. She passed it into Gabriel’s shaking hands. She had an understanding, if somewhat mischievous smile on which was slightly undercut by the concern in her dark eyes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up.”

“If it were Fareeha—“

“I would be the same,” Ana agreed with a nod, “But right now, before we can do anything, you need to calm down. Then we can think of a plan.”

“Ana’s right. I know you’re worried about him and angry about the circumstances, but this is Talon we’re talking about. They’ve been leading us around in circles for years and if they’ve gone through this much trouble to get him back, they’re going to be covering their tracks. We’re going to need to give this our full attention, which means you can’t be divided worrying about the what-ifs or regrets.”

It was an insensitive statement, but Jack’s touch on his shoulder was as warm as the cup of tea in his hands. Gabriel stared down at the murky liquid, half tempted to run up to the divination professor with his tea leaves to ask her for their chances. He’d never put much stock in divination in the past. It lacked precision and control.

 

_“He has an interesting cup.”_

_“You always say that.”_

_Reyes crossed his arms, looking through the glass at the kid in the interrogation room. It was all very_ muggle. _The glass was magical, the room enchanted, the cuffs on the boy’s wrists unbreakable, yet it was a scene he’d seen a hundred times in muggle shows and movies. The boy looked like the typical delinquent he’d see on those shows too. He had messy, long brown hair that he left hanging loose, draping over his shoulders. His jeans were distressed from wear and his white t-shirt was more grey than white. He had a tattoo on his inner left forearm like a brand declaring his allegiance to the Deadlock Gang. The boy kept pacing the room, looking perhaps for a way out or simply keeping himself busy as his mind worked through his options._

_“There’s an upside-down anchor here and a dagger. These may be positive signs though if I am reading this next symbol correctly…the butterfly.”_

_Reyes rolled his eyes. The Ministry had started a new practice that insisted on assigning Seers to assist those giving interrogations._

_“Butterflies? Mondatta, while I appreciate your work, you’re not going to learn anything special from those tea leaves about that boy in there. I learned everything I needed to when I took him in.”_

_The Seer smirked, “Oh? Well then, who am I to keep you from your interrogation, but I do have to wonder what it is you’re hoping to learn from him now if you learned everything before?”_

_Reyes didn’t miss the other man’s tone. “Motivation. I want to know why he protected that little girl and why he didn’t defect from the gang if he was so interested in protecting her.”_

_“Did it occur to you that he may have been scared to leave what I presume is the only stable life he knew? Oh look, a forked line. He has a decision to make.”_

_“No shit,” Reyes mumbled before he could stop himself, “He’s got a choice here and now: give us everything he knows about the Deadlock Gang to buy his freedom, or he can join them in Azkaban.”_

_Mondatta frowned, “You would send him to Azkaban knowing that he is a child?”_

_“Do you know what he’s done? What he is?”_

_“Of course,” Mondatta said, “But you said yourself that he has potential and I agree. He is at a crossroads in his life.”_

_“And if he’s smart he’ll take the first option.”_

_“You are also at a crossroads, Gabriel Reyes.” Mondatta gave him a smile that sent a chill down his spine, “Your paths are now intertwined, whether or not you realize it yet.”_

The door to the potions classroom opened once again. To the surprise of the trio, it wasn’t another professor, but rather two students standing breathless at the door, their faces pale with worry.

“Miss Ziegler? Mr. Shimada? You do realize what hour of the morning this is?”

Angela took one look at Gabriel, quick calculations running behind her eyes.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but…it’s urgent.”

“My brother is missing. Angela said he wasn’t in the Ravenclaw dorm or common area.”

“Are you sure he didn’t just go early to the library?” Ana asked, “He usually likes to get an early start on the day.”

Angela looked down, “Normally I would think that, but last night he told me he was going to be coming back late to the dorm. He didn’t say why and I didn’t ask. I fell asleep out in the common room working, but I never heard him come back. Normally he would wake me if he came back and found me asleep. I went up to the boy’s dorm and he wasn’t there. His bed was still made from yesterday.”

“I checked all of his usual hiding spots, but he wasn’t anywhere,” Genji continued, “And that’s not all. Jesse’s gone too.”

“But you already knew Jesse was missing…?” Angela guessed.

Ana and Jack looked to Gabriel. He nodded, setting down the cup of tea.

“Did Hanzo give any indication of where he might be? Or where he was going? Any hints?”

Angela moved to shake her head, but stopped after a second thought, “I didn’t think about it much yesterday, but he was dressed warm. He had a winter cloak on. He couldn’t have gone out in that snowstorm with Jesse? Why would they do that?”

Jack cast Gabriel a knowing glance. Jack had mentioned a few weeks ago that he suspected that Jesse might have shared his secret with Hanzo, but Gabriel had been sure that Jesse would have kept something like that to himself. He was so secretive about everything else normally and after learning about what he might have done as a werewolf, Gabriel had watched him bury that part of him down, not even bringing it up too often with him. Was it possible that Hanzo and Jesse were closer than he had realized?

It was Ana who took control of the situation. “Angela, go back to Ravenclaw tower and wait there just in case he comes back. Genji, please do the same in Gryffindor tower. Professor Morrison and Professor Reyes will go search the grounds for them. It’s possible they got lost out in the snow, but they’re both smart and I know for a fact Hanzo knows spells for creating shelters and fires. We’ll find them, don’t worry.”

Angela nodded and put her arm over Genji’s shoulder, leading him out to do as they were instructed. Genji cast them a brief, questioning look as he was led out as if he suspected that there was more to the story than they had let on. As soon as they were sure that the two students were gone and not eavesdropping, Ana addressed Gabriel and Jack.

“Jack, I want you to go search the shack and the surrounding area. Gabe, you’re going to come with me to search the grounds just in case they managed to escape to here and did get caught up in the storm.”

“I don’t understand,” Jack cut in before Gabe could demand that he be the one to search the shack, “Why not use the Trace the kids have to search for them? They’re both underage and would be using magic right now to survive, wouldn’t they? Maybe the Ministry knows where they are.”

Gabriel looked away, “Jesse doesn’t have a Trace.”

“Are you _kidding_ me? He is an underage ex-criminal and you didn’t put a Trace on him!”

“We had our reasons,” Ana said, “We don’t know how deep the influence of that shadow organization runs. It’s possible they have Ministry ties and with them, they could have tracked Jesse with the Trace.”

“Well we can just use Hanzo’s then—“

“Neither of the Shimada boys have a Trace on them.”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, “And _their_ logic for that?”

“I believe their family wanted to be untraceable as well for business reasons.”

“So we literally have no way to track these boys? Damn it!” Jack ran a hand through his hair, turning away.

Gabriel shook his head, “No, we don’t. But I feel better knowing that Hanzo is with Jesse.”

“And why is that?” Ana asked.

“Because I know Jesse will have a reason to come back now. It was his greatest strength and flaw within the gang. When he cares about someone, he will do whatever it takes to protect them.”

“Well then we need to be ready to find and receive them,” said Ana, “You know what you need to do. Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

 

His head hurt and he felt like he was suffocating under a heavy weight. Jesse groaned, slowly becoming aware of other hurts. One in particular throbbed brutally with each beat of his heart. His left arm ached, worse than the time he’d gotten his tattoo, worse even then when he’d gotten a compound fracture on one of the gang’s missions. _Wait…arm?_ Jesse opened his eyes. The sun was almost blindingly bright, reflecting off of the ice and snow that clung to the bows of the trees overhead. It was early morning, the rays of dawn just peering in the sky. _I’m not in the hospital wing? I don’t even remember changing back…_

Jesse heard a soft crackling beside him and became aware of the smell of burning wood. A campfire. With each passing moment, his consciousness increased. He under a heavy cloak, but otherwise he was completely naked. He was lying on the hard ground, which was still frozen earth despite the fire somewhere beside him.

He looked over towards the fire and saw Hanzo sitting next to it, his attention turned outwards beyond the camp. The small movement caught his eye though and he immediately turned, his brows scrunching with concern.

“You’re awake!”

“Yeah, that generally happens after I change back, but it doesn’t usually take quite so long. Ugh, I feel rough. What happened? We didn't go drinking after did we” Jesse’s stomach dropped. “I didn’t lose myself, did I? Hanzo, are you alright?”

To his surprise, Hanzo chuckled, but there was a strange pain to his laugh. “I’m fine. You didn’t attack me. You tried to protect me. Jesse, you don’t remember what happened at the shack?”

Jesse frowned, worrying his lower lip. He remembered going to the shack and changing. He’d convinced Hanzo to let him go on a run, but before they could leave—

“He found us! Talon found us!”

Jesse sat up, only to immediately fall back with a gasp of pain. He reached over to grab the offending area, but when his hand reached his arm he found a heavily bound wad of stiff fabric.

“Jesse! Don’t sit up too fast, just take it easy for a bit. You’re still recovering from your transformation and—“

Jesse sat up again and looked over to where his arm should have been only to find a bundle of cloth covered in dried blood. His vision tilted as he fell back, staring up at the sky. Everything was coming back to him now: the attack, Hanzo and him trying to flee, the curse that the man sent at Hanzo and his decision to jump in front of it.

“It’s going to be ok. Hey, Jesse?” Hanzo was wiping his eyes for him—when had he started to cry? “The healers will fix you up once we get home.”

“I’m fine,” Jesse said thickly, “It just surprised me. Hey, you got any spells to make spare clothes?”

Hanzo continued to watch him with concern, but he answered his question nonetheless. “Unfortunately I do not, but I think we’re near a muggle town. I might be able to sneak in and steal some. I didn’t want to leave you though.”

“Muggle town? Where are we? And what did you do last night? What was that spell you used?”

“It wasn’t a spell of mine,” Hanzo said and he pulled out a small red charm, “My family put an enchantment on this omamori. To my understanding, it was meant to mimic a portkey. The enchantment wasn’t quite the same since it doesn’t have a predetermined location and doesn’t activate by touch, but in essence, it is quite similar.”

Jesse was trying to sit up again, propping himself up on his good arm. “Any change that thing can get us home?”

“Unfortunately it can’t. It’s a one-time use object. We’re not too far from the shack though, I think.”

“You think?”

“Well, I didn’t really consider where I wanted us to go when I used it. I just knew we needed to get away from that man. The enchantment has a few safeguards to ensure that we don’t end up in places like the bottom of the ocean or on top of a mountain, but it’s not a perfect art.”

“How do you know there’s a muggle town over there then?”

“I saw a car drive by. There’s a road a few dozen yards that way. I thought we would be safer camping near it, but not next to it. We still don’t know if we’re being pursued after all.”

Hanzo gently pushed Jesse back down. He didn’t resist. He’d only been awake for a few minutes, but his energy was already slipping away.

“I’m going to go into town to see if I can get help. Not that you have much of an option, but wait here. I put up some ward spells around this area.” At Jesse’s confused look, Hanzo sighed and explained, “Protego totalium, salvio hexia, muffliato, and cave inimicum. There are others I could have used, such as one to keep muggles away, but I think we would actually be lucky to be found by a muggle at this point.”

“Then why not hitchhike down at the road?”

“I wouldn’t know how to explain your state of undress.” Hanzo’s cheeks darkened slightly.

Jesse smirked, “Fair point.”

“I’ll be back with clothes and some food. It shouldn’t be too difficult for me to steal some.”

“Have you ever stolen a thing in your life, Hanzo?”

It was his turn to smirk, “Yes. Now rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Jesse watched Hanzo stand up and make his way down towards the direction he’d indicated the road to be in. As soon as the other boy was gone, Jesse found himself noticing the pain in his arm more. He was tempted to look closer now that Hanzo was gone, but he found it impossible to summon up the strength. Without Hanzo there to distract him, he felt himself once again falling back into unconsciousness. He struggled to stay awake, fighting the sensation of falling back, the weight on his limbs, but in the end, the gravity of sleep pulled him back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

While he hadn’t been able to find a town, Hanzo was able to find a house where someone had left the laundry out to dry (perhaps against the original owners better judgment, as the clothes were now solid from the snow and ice). After prying the frozen clothes off of the wire, he took out his wand and cast a quick spell to free them from the ice, drying them at the same time. He tucked these under his arm before creeping up to the back window of the house, which happened to be the kitchen window. He peered inside. Still dark. The family must have still been asleep.

Hanzo pointed his wand at the window latch, whispering “alohomora”. As soon as it clicked open he pushed open the window and reached inside, snatching up the food set on the counter: a bag of bread and a few apples. He tucked all of these inside of the clothes before once again shutting the window, relocking it with a spell. With that done, Hanzo retraced his steps, heading out of the town and back to the road. He felt moderately guilty for stealing, but then he remembered Jesse’s pale face. _He’s counting on me. Hopefully, these people can spare what I’ve taken_. He hadn’t lied when he told Jesse he’d stolen before. His thefts had never been quite so direct though as this time.

It took him nearly an hour before he found the campsite again. He wouldn’t have been able to see it if not for the marker he’d left on a tree, indicating its location. He slid through the barrier after saying the counter-spell, reengaging it once again once he was through. Jesse was where he’d left him beside the dying fire. He didn’t stir when Hanzo came over and briefly he panicked, but upon closer inspection, he saw that his friend’s chest was still rising and falling. His breathing was erratic though and his unusually pallid complexion didn’t help to ease Hanzo’s concern.

Hanzo bent forward and gently kissed Jesse’s brow, checking for a fever. He was alarmed at the heat rising off of Jesse’s forehead. Hanzo pulled back and pushed back the cloak he’d draped over Jesse earlier like a blanket.

The injury on Jesse’s left arm was brutal and to Hanzo’s horror, it seemed to be getting worse. When he’d rewrapped it after Jesse had switched back, it had looked like a clean cut just under the elbow. He’d been horrified at first, angry at his own failure to see the spell coming that Jesse had saved him from. The horror had given way to a hope that perhaps the injury could be mended by a healer and he could get his arm back, but now Hanzo knew that wouldn’t be an option. Around the bandage, spidering up his arm, Jesse’s veins were tinged with a blotchy purple and green. _So it was a curse…_ Hanzo swore softly. He’s suspected as much, but he’d hoped perhaps he was wrong because cursed wounds couldn’t be fixed, not fully anyway.

“I am so sorry, Jesse. Just hang on for a bit longer. I’ll figure out how to get us home.”

For now, Hanzo did what he could. He pulled the stolen clothes on Jesse and changed the bandage on his arm. Jesse remained asleep through all of it, lost in fever dreams. _I need to find a way to send a message…but I don’t have an owl. Patronus charm? I still haven’t been able to cast one successfully._ Hanzo tucked the cloak back around Jesse. If he couldn’t figure out a way to send a message, they would just need to find a way to move. There was the road nearby. Jesse’s idea of hitchhiking hadn’t been a bad one, but he was nervous about enlisting a muggle’s help, especially with Jesse’s current condition. A muggle would insist on going to a hospital and they wouldn’t be able to do anything for the cursed wound. Still, it was an option.

He wanted to let Jesse continue to rest, but he knew that doing so wouldn’t help him in the long run. The sooner they got help the better. Hanzo doused the fire and picked up Jesse in a fireman’s carry. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable for Jesse, but Hanzo had a long way to carry his friend. He draped the winter cloak over both of them before dispelling the area and trudging towards the road.


	16. Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack tries to distract a distraught Gabriel. Hanzo's father has a plan to find the lost boys. Jesse and Hanzo continue to try to find their way home.

There had been no sign of the boys at the shack or anywhere nearby for that matter. It was as if they had just vanished. Gabriel tried to not assume the worst when Jack delivered the news, but it was difficult to keep his mind from going there. He knew Jesse would find a way to survive if Talon took him—he was nothing if not a survivor. He thought back to the first few weeks after he’d first met Jesse and the boy was released into his custody. He’d been such a paradox of a kid: friendly and curious one minute, sarcastic and biting the next. Then there was the other side, the times where it seemed like all of his bravado had been sapped away and he’d stared at Gabe, just waiting for a rebuke or blow, one that would never come. _He’s gotten so much better—so much better at trusting and now…after all of this?_ Gabriel forced himself to take a deep breath.

“You’ve said it yourself that the kid’s good at adapting to situations and I’ve seen it firsthand.”

“I know…”

“And the enemy having him is just the worst case scenario—there’s a chance that the boys escaped by some other means.”

“I know…”

“Gabe?”

Gabriel looked up. He hadn’t even seen Jack come close, his face just inches from his own.

“You need sleep.”

“I know…”

Jack took his hands, cupping them in his own, “Do you know? Come on, let’s go.”

It took Gabriel a moment to realize he was being led away. “Jack, wait, I’ve still got more work to do. I need to go to the Ministry to check—“

“Ana is already checking to see if we can find any unusual magical activity in muggle populated areas.”

“Then I need to go inspect the grounds again. We didn’t go that far into the forest—“

“Torbjörn is already searching the grounds.”

“Well what about—“

“Reinhardt is putting spells around the whomping willow to alert us in case they come back through that way. And before you ask we already sent an owl over to Hogsmeade to be on the lookout for them. Now, will you please follow me? Merlin’s beard you’re supposed to be the calm one in these situations.”

He almost said ‘I know” again. “Sorry…”

Jack squeezed his hands lightly, still leading him along the corridors. The school was still functioning for the most part as normal, holding what classes they could (Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts were canceled), most of the students blissfully unaware of Jesse and Hanzo’s disappearance. They had Genji and Angela to thank for that. The two had agreed to keep it to themselves for now (although Gabriel suspected that Fareeha and Lena probably knew, but he trusted them to keep quiet) for now in order to ensure there wasn’t a mass panic in the school. It wasn’t every day that students disappeared after all and rumors had a bad habit of growing from elaboration, leaking over into letters sent home to parents.

“Have we heard back yet from the Shimada family?”

“Yes. They’re traveling here to assist with the search. I believe they want to speak to us privately as well—they hinted as such in their owl.”

Gabriel frowned, “Makes sense. They must know that we know about their _business endeavors_.”

“Exactly. There’s a chance that if Talon took Jesse and Hanzo, the Shimadas may be able to negotiate for us.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t comfort Gabriel. If the Shimadas were coming and wanted to speak in private, then there was a high possibility of the boys being in the hands of Talon now.

Jack opened the door to his office and led the way back to the adjacent bedroom. He tugged off Gabriel’s cloak after a small, hinting pull on his sleeve.

“I want you resting. You don’t have to sleep, but you’re not going to leave the bed for at least four hours. The Shimadas won’t be here for at least that long.”

Gabriel felt a small smirk tug at his lips, despite the situation. “Oh? Is this my boyfriend talking or my combat medic?”

Jack approached him and slipped his fingers under the hem of Gabriel’s shirt, drawing it up. He pulled it up over Gabriel’s head, tossing it aside before lightly pushing Gabriel back until the back of his knees hit the bed and he let himself fall back onto the covers.

“Perhaps both?”

Gabriel reached up and clasped Jack’s cloak, dragging him down onto the bed as well.

“You’re not going to be able to distract me enough to get me to sleep you know.”

“I can still distract you though, at least for a little while.”

 

* * *

 

When Gabriel woke, Jack was pulling on his robes. He watched him go over to the mirror, pointing his wand at his still-perfect hair to give it that extra bit of perfect. Any other time after waking up from an afternoon nap he would have taken Jack down to the kitchens, pretending like they were sneaking about to get a forbidden evening snack just like when they were kids. Instead, Jack was carefully dragging on his green and silver hood, adjusting it to ensure that it fell evenly across his shoulders and down his back. Gabriel sat up, letting the blankets fall back. At the sound, Jack turned, a satisfied grin on his face.

“You said I couldn’t get you to sleep.”

“Guess I owe you a drink,” Gabriel said, pushing back the blankets, “I take it the Shimadas are here?”

Jack nodded, “They’ll be here in a few minutes. Ana wants us looking presentable.”

Gabriel went to his wardrobe and pulled out his ‘nice’ robes. They were, at the very least, not patched or mended and didn’t contain any faded reminders of his Auror work. He put those on before picking out his shoes. He forsook his usual combat boots for a pair of dress shoes, normally reserved for undercover work or nights out.

As soon as both men were ready, they went down to the entrance hall to wait for the arrival of the Shimada family. As it turned out, only one came: Hanzo and Genji’s father, Sojiro. He was dressed for travel, but his robes were still worth twice what Gabriel would earn in a year. Like Hanzo, he kept his long black hair tied neatly back and had a distant, calculating look to him.

“Mr. Shimada. We’re glad you could come during such a troubled time. The Headmaster instructed us to meet in her office. If you’ll follow us?”

Rather than going to her office down in the potion’s classroom, they went up instead to the official headmaster’s office, where they found Ana busy looking over a dozen letters spread out across her desk. She stood up as they entered, giving Mr. Shimada a bow, which he returned.

“Let us not sit on ceremony. Time is of the essence if we want to find my son and his friend.” Mr. Shimada walked over to Ana’s desk and sat at one of the chairs, waiting for the others to sit before he continued. “I understand this is a delicate situation for you as well…beyond the PR difficulties?”

Ana nodded and carefully pried, “Are you familiar with Jesse McCree’s situation?”

“I am. Hanzo asked me an odd question in one of his first letters home in September, which prompted me to look into the boy. I had heard rumors that the Deadlock Gang was detained. It was a surprise to learn that one of their members was brought to study here.” He narrowed his eyes. “I am well aware of what the Deadlock Gang _does_ to its members.”

“We suspect that Hanzo was aware of Jesse’s…condition….and possible went with him to keep him company.”

“Oh there’s no need to dance around it,” Mr. Shimada cut in, “He is a werewolf and my son figured it out. They’re friends after all to my understanding. It was only a matter of time for him.”

“We gave him strict rules regarding his condition,” Ana continued, “Beyond taking regular doses of wolfsbane potion, he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone or to leave the shelter that was designated for his transformations.”

“They wouldn’t have left the shelter willingly,” Jack said after a pause, “The door was blasted inward, so someone came for Jesse and unfortunately, Hanzo was there when it happened. We apologize for this breach. The rules were implemented to mitigate the chances of something like this occurring. The last thing we wanted was for another student to get caught in the crossfire.”

“My boys are used to danger,” Mr. Shimada commented, “Hanzo especially. If he hadn’t been caught indirectly in this attack, he would have been targeted directly later. My wife thinks sending the boys away here to Hogwarts will protect them. It is a false hope.”

“I assure you, we’re doing everything we can to find them. You mentioned in your letter you may be able to assist us?”

Mr. Shimada nodded before pulling out a red omamori, “Both of my sons have one of these. They contain a modified version of the enchantment that is usually applied to portkeys.”

Gabriel stood up. He hadn’t meant to. His eyes were locked onto the omamori.

Mr. Shimada smiled, “I have a way to track them if they are used. While I can’t give an exact location of their last known whereabouts, I can give you a radius of about a mile. And yes—Hanzo used his.”

Gabriel grabbed onto the edge of his chair. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to maintain his composure. “They got away. They’re alive.”

“There is a chance they are, yes. There’s nothing in the enchantment to allow us to see how many were traveling or what condition they were in but…yes. There is hope.”

Mr. Shimada took out his wand. He flicked it and from it, like smoke, a map began to form. It was a map of British Isles. As soon as the map settled, he jabbed his wand at a point in the Orkney Islands of Northern Scotland.

“The town of Lyness,” he said, “The enchantment sent them somewhere near there.”

“But why there?” Jack asked, crossing his arms, “I mean, as far as safe locations go, it’s pretty far from danger, but it seems a bit random.”

“The enchantment doesn’t have a set location. You can suggest locations based on desire, but if they were attacked like you suspect, then I’m assuming that they didn’t have time to consider or else they might not have chosen somewhere so far north.”

Gabriel looked over the map, then started to head for the door.

 

* * *

 

Frozen. There was the distant sound of water crashing over rocks and Jesse thought he could smell the ocean. He opened his eyes. The sun had faded behind a wall of dark clouds as night fell. He was unsure how long ago that had been, but it couldn’t have been long—he could still just barely see a hint of light trying to push through the atmosphere. Jesse shivered, looking around the camp. There were out of the woods and now settled on an open plane, surrounded by high grass and dead bushes. Hanzo (he assumed—who else could have?) had conjured up a fire again as well as what appeared to be a bubble of sorts around their camp. The snow slid off of the dome as it hit, melting.

“Hanzo?” His voice was raw and thin.

The other boy was nowhere in sight. Jesse forced himself to sit up, gasping from the effort. His entire body was cold and his left arm was numb from the shoulder down. An ache spidered up the limb, running through his shoulder and chest to throb with each beat of his heart. He refused to look over, to acknowledge his injury. Instead, he awkwardly clambered to his feet. He shivered uncontrollably, even with the fire continuing to blaze beside him. _He must have been here recently, right?_ It was hard to see beyond the bubble through the dark and sleet. A nagging panic began to build in his mind. What if Hanzo had gone out seeking supplies again and been caught? Their current location wasn’t nearly as safe as the woods had been—how had they gotten here anyway? The last thing Jesse remembered was Hanzo leaving to go find clothes and supplies.

“Hanzo!” he called.

The effort made him fall back down to his knees. God he was useless right now. He didn’t even have his wand anymore. It had been left behind in the shack back when he’d first transformed. _I didn’t need a wand back then and I don’t need one now_ , he stubbornly insisted to himself before dragging himself up again. He took one shaky step, then another, until he was at the edge of the bubble. Off in the distance, he thought he could see the sea. Weren’t they near the woods though before? Hogwarts wasn’t anywhere near an ocean, was it? Jesse grit his teeth. Those thoughts were pointless. He needed to focus.

The bubble rippled and briefly the noises around him amplified before muffling again. Jesse turned to see Hanzo, who looked just as surprised to see him. Hanzo dropped the parcels in his arms and ran over to Jesse, quickly wrapping one arm around his waist and using the other to grab Jesse’s good arm as an anchor.

“What are you doing up? You need to be resting. You’re like ice…shit. Come on.”

Jesse couldn’t have resisted if he wanted to. Hanzo led him back over to the fire, helping him to sit down before draping a cloak over his shoulders. The fabric felt like an extra weight, nothing more.

“Where were you? I woke up and you were gone? How did we get here?”

“Sorry, I should have left a note. I didn’t expect you to wake up though.” Hanzo went to collect the parcels he’d dropped. “Had to get some supplies for the night.”

Hanzo unwrapped one of the parcels, revealing a sandwich, which he held out to Jesse.

“I’m not hungry…”

“You haven’t eaten since yesterday. I know you’re not feeling well, but not eating isn’t going to help. Come on, we can split it.” He started to pull apart the sandwich.

“I don’t need you to take care of me, I’m fine.”

Hanzo sighed, setting the sandwich back down on its wrapping. His expression was stern, but his words were soft. “Jesse, you’re sick and you’re hurt. Yes, you do need someone to take care of you and right now, we don’t have the luxury of working through whatever issues you have with this arrangement.”

“I—you’re right. Sorry.” Jesse ran his hand through his hair before resting his forehead on his knee. “You’re right.”

“I know.”

Jesse looked up to see Hanzo giving him a small smirk. It was both infuriating and endearing all at once. Hanzo edged closer, bringing the sandwich with him. He tugged off a bit of the bread, passing it to Jesse who begrudgingly took it. It tasted like ash on his tongue and made his stomach churn, but Hanzo’s continued look made him finish it. Once he’d eaten the bit of bread, Hanzo passed him over a water bottle, forcing him to drink as well. That went down easier.

“So the good news is that we’re probably the only wizards on the island. The bad news though…we’re the only wizards on the island. I was able to find a ferry that’ll take us over to the mainland, but the ferry only runs on the weekdays so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow before they can take us over.”

“The trip’s free?”

“No, we’ll have to try to sneak on unless we can get them to pity us which—at this point, I don’t think would be too difficult to achieve.”

“How is it we have magic but we can’t figure out a way to just send a message over to Hogwarts?”

“Because magic has rules and it can be rather finicky. It’s not all-powerful.”

“Sure seems like it is.” Jesse resisted the urge to reach over and hold his numb arm. “Hey…Hanzo? Is there any chance that magic can…you know…fix what happened? Fix this?”

Hanzo looked down, a bit of his hair falling into his face. He slowly shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Jesse, but I don’t think it can. You know how there are different types of spells? Well, the one that hit you? It was a curse and cursed wounds can’t always be mended. You might be able to negate the harmful magic, but it’ll still leave a scar or in the case of losing something…magic can’t reverse it.”

“But I’ve seen those potions for things like regrowing bones and just last week Jamison managed to blow his leg off and they were able to fix that—“

“You know how magic can’t reverse your being a werewolf? It’s like that, Jesse.”

Jesse let his head rest on his knee again. He felt tears stinging his eyes, blurring his vision, running down his cheeks and nose. Before he knew it his breath caught and he was sobbing—something he hadn’t allowed himself to do in years. He’d permitted a tear or two to slip past, silent shame rolling down his face, but this was different.

He felt Hanzo edge up next to him before wrapping his arms around him, firmly embracing him. He was careful to avoid jostling his wound and was somehow both gentle, yet resolute in his action. The warmth of it, the steady beat of his heart and the regular rise and fall of his chest as he breathed acted like an anchor. Jesse let his own breathing fall into rhythm with Hanzo’s until he slowly relaxed in his embrace. The occasional hiccup interrupted his calm, but slowly he regained control.

“I can’t promise you that they can heal everything, but I can promise that everything will be ok. We’re going to get out of this, Jesse.” Hanzo pulled back just enough to wipe Jesse’s tears away.

“I know.”

 

* * *

 

Jesse stirred to consciousness once again. He didn’t remember falling asleep. His mind was like that now—flashes of images and impressions falling between cracks in his conscious. He looked to the left. Hanzo was curled up beside him, the cloak over top of them. What had Hanzo said earlier? Sharing warmth? Jesse couldn’t remember what it was like to be warm. He curled up closer to Hanzo, trying to hide his face into the other boy’s chest. Breathe. His lungs were tight. He measured his own breath to Hanzo’s.

 

* * *

 

A crack. Boots stomping over an uneven surface. The rasp of rocks sliding over one another. Jesse opened his eyes. Hanzo was sitting up, wand at the ready as he stared off into the growing light of dawn. The snow had stopped, but the night still lingered, holding onto the earth for as long as it could. It was giving way though, revealing a group of figures off in the distance—figures milling about, searching for something. Their voices carried, muffled and broken over the rolling ocean. One waved a wand, pausing briefly to look in the direction of Hanzo and Jesse’s shelter.

Hanzo put a finger to his lips before standing up, creeping closer to the edge of their bubble. He paused, studying the group, before raising his wand and letting the bubble ripple and fall away. As soon as it did, the group of people turned. Hesitation. Then, one sprinted towards them. Jesse’s vision wavered, the edges tinged with darkness.

“JESSE!”

He knew that voice. He was being pulled up, embraced, held tight against a shaking, breathless body. Familiar smell. Familiar voice. He was wrapped up and carried, cradled. He stared up at the breaking sky, dawn’s web unfurling. The voice rumbled, words about ‘being ok’ and ‘holding on’ permeating his mind. Jesse grabbed onto the shirt with his hand, feeling himself falling away.

“Dad?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, sorry guys! I've learned that the ending of this chapter might have been too ambiguous. The man carrying Jesse is Gabe. Jesse's just pretty much DOA at this point so he's having trouble stringing together thoughts. Sorry for any confusion~


	17. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Jack bring Jesse and Hanzo home. Information is shared.

They’d searched the island for hours until finally, they’d noticed a shimmering in the distance, a spot where the snow settled where it shouldn’t have. Like an opening mirage, a boy with long black hair and a fire appeared, lighting the way. At first, Gabriel felt a mixed sense of relief and dread—he could see Hanzo, alive and well—but where was Jesse? Then, he noticed the bundle by the fire. His stomach dropped. He sprinted over to the boys, the worst-case scenario sirening through his mind.

“JESSE!” 

He knelt down beside the boy, drawing him up into his arms without a second thought. He held him tight against his chest, running his hand through his hair. _He was alive._ Gabriel could have cried with relief until he realized there was something wrong with Jesse’s reaction. There was none of the usual resistance, none of the snarky remarks or even a gesture of acknowledgment. Gabriel’s hug slackened so he could get a better look at the boy.

For one terrible moment, he thought that he _had_ been too late. Jesse’s face was deathly pale, his veins standing out in stark contrast. His hazel eyes were too bright and glossy, seemingly to slide in and out of focus. And then…oh god, how had he missed it? From the elbow down, his left arm was gone.

“Dios me…Jesse! Shit! Jack, get over here! Jack! Hang on Jesse; it’s going to be ok. We’re going to go home. Jack!”

Gabriel scooped Jesse up into his arms, standing up just as Jack came over. He had Hanzo’s shoulder firmly in one hand, as if afraid the boy might disappear if he let go. As soon as he saw Jesse he swore.

“We need to leave now. You take Jesse, I’ll hold on to Hanzo.”

“Hogwarts or—can Ana and the nurse handle something like this? Should we go to St. Mungo’s?”

“Hogwarts,” Jack said immediately, “We’ll figure out how to handle it. Now go! I’m right behind you.”

“Dad?”

The word stood alone, the soft whisper a shout in on the snowy shoreline. Gabriel felt a small tug on his shirt and looked down to see Jesse’s eyes had closed.

“Jesse? Oh, no, no, no, no, you don’t get to do this to me.”

“Gabe! Go!”

Gabriel focused on his destination, cradling Jesse tight against his chest before apparating.

 

* * *

 

He arrived just outside of the Hogwarts gates. Gabriel didn’t wait for Jack. He sprinted inside, trying his best to hold Jesse in a way that wouldn’t jostle him too much. Somewhere behind him he heard a loud crack and knew that Jack and Hanzo had landed.

Gabriel barely made it up to the front doors before they burst open, Ana and Sojiro Shimada coming out to meet him. It took one look for them to understand the situation. Sojiro’s eyes went over Gabriel’s shoulder, a father’s panic briefly passing through his face before he saw that Hanzo was fine.

“What happened?” Ana half shouted, looking to Gabriel, then Hanzo for an explanation.

“He was hit by a curse while he was transformed. A man attacked and chased us out of the shack—I don’t know who he was.”

“You can describe him later,” Sojiro said, going to meet Hanzo while Ana led the way to the hospital wing.

The group had barely passed the threshold before a group of students coming out from breakfast saw the procession. Their eyes widened and they went hurrying off before anyone could tell them otherwise, no doubt to spread the news. Almost immediately after, Genji, Angela, and Fareeha came out of the Great Hall. Genji looked from Hanzo to his father, his face a mixture of relief and confusion. 

“Hanzo, you’re ok! Otōsan? When did you get here?”

“You two go back to the Great Hall and get ready for class,” Ana ordered, “Genji, you can stay with your brother.” 

“Mein Gott, is that Jesse—?“

“You have a test today in Professor Reinhardt’s class, Miss Ziegler. Fareeha, make sure you’re on time for your first class as well.”

Gabriel hardly paid attention to the whispers of the students as he passed them. The hospital wing was on the first floor, so there was only a short distance to go, but each step seemed to take an eternity. He kept glancing down at Jesse, trying to catch the rise and fall of his chest or any sign of movement. Once they arrived, he was reluctant to let Jesse go, but Ana eventually coaxed him into setting him down onto a bed.

“We need to start working on him, Gabe. Maybe you should wait outside? Healing curses aren't easy or always pretty…”

“I need to stay,” Gabriel insisted, “Please, Ana…I know how bad cursed wounds are. I’ve had my fair share over the years. Let me stay with him.”

“I want to stay as well,” he heard Hanzo say.

He hadn’t even seen Hanzo come into the hospital wing with them but of course, it made sense—he had to be checked over after his ordeal too.

Ana sighed, “Alright, Gabe, but this is a delicate situation. Jack, go check over Hanzo and make sure he’s well, then escort him and his father to my office.” 

The next few hours passed by in a blur. The Shimadas left the hospital wing once Jack gave the all clear that Hanzo was relatively ok. Gabriel remained in the hospital wing, watching over Jesse while Ana, Jack, and the head nurse worked to try to break the curse. He lost track of the spells and potions they used, none of which seemed to have much of an effect until finally, Ana used a potion of her own invention that had only recently come out of the testing phase. After four hours, Jesse was tucked up into the bed to rest and a chair was set by his bedside for Gabriel. 

“It’s only a temporary measure,” Ana said quietly, bringing over a chair to sit down next to Gabriel, “We’ve contained the curse, but not indefinitely. Whoever did this to him used a hex I’ve never seen before. It is spreading and it will kill him if we don’t find the counter curse. For now it’s sealed…but…” 

He gave a mute nod.

“This isn’t your fault, Gabe.”

 _Of course it is._ “What are we going to do then? Send him to St. Mungo’s to see if they can find a cure?”

Ana hummed a note in thought, “Perhaps. There was a healer who used to work there who specialized in experimental magic, which is what I suspect the curse is. However…”

“However?”

“Her work was rather controversial. She was recently fired. There may be other healers who can help there, but none of them had the experience she did with this particular field. I’ll send over an owl to St. Mungos though to see if they can help.”

“Is there any chance we could find her? What’s her name?”

“Her name was Moira O’Deorain and I wasn’t exaggerating when I said her work was controversial. At least when she worked with St. Mungo’s she had to follow certain guidelines. I would hesitate to hire her without a leash.”

“How long before the curse starts to spread?”

Ana sighed, “Who can say? Months if we’re lucky, weeks if we’re not. For now, we will work through this one step at a time. I am going to go speak with Hanzo to learn what happened.”

“I’ll stay here with Jesse in case he wakes up.”

“You’ll be here for a while. I gave him a sleeping draft to make sure he gets some rest.”

Gabriel nodded, his eyes remaining fixed on Jesse. “Thanks, Ana. For taking care of him.”

As Ana left, Gabriel moved his chair a little closer to Jesse’s bed. He pushed back the boy’s hair, letting out a heavy sigh. His skin had returned to its normal warm bronze, the previous sallowness gone. He seemed to be resting peacefully, lost in what Gabriel could only hope was a dreamless sleep.

“I’m so sorry this happened, Jess.”

 

* * *

 

Hanzo waited anxiously with his family while the headmaster was busy. Professor Morrison spoke with his father for the majority of the time while Genji remained by his side, trying to get details as to what happened. He remained tight-lipped until Ana arrived. She looked tired but smiled when she saw Hanzo. 

“I am glad that you boys made it back to us. How are you feeling, Hanzo?”

“I’m fine,” Hanzo said quickly, “But how is Jesse?” 

She hesitated before saying, “He’ll be fine. Now, I’m afraid I have to ask you some difficult questions. I know you’ve had a difficult few days, but we need to understand what happened.” 

His father and Genji looked over as if to make sure he was ok with talking about it. “Of course, Professor Amari. What do you need to know?”

She sat down at her desk, motioning for him and his family to join her. He went over and sat down, watching as she took out a tea set and started to brew a pot with a flick of her wand. She then pushed forward a little candy bowl, nodding for him to take one. Genji took three.

“I need to know everything. Start from the beginning—did you follow Jesse down to the shack knowing what he is?”

He answered without hesitation, “Yes. I’ve known for a while. This wasn’t my first time going down to the shack with him.” 

“When was the first?”

“The first time he transformed here. I saw Professor Reyes leaving and I didn’t want him to be alone, so I went down to make sure he would be ok. I knew he’d be safe since you’d been giving him the wolfsbane potion.”

His father sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder, “It was still dangerous, Hanzo. You know how risky it is to be around werewolf when they’re turning.”

“He wasn’t dangerous. He was scared and alone. It was his first time changing in a new place and it was the first time he’d had the wolfsbane potion.”

“He’d never taken the potion before? I can see why that might have been unnerving for him.”

“Wait,” Genji interrupted, “Jesse’s a werewolf?” 

Hanzo, their father, and Professor Amari all turned to look at Genji.

“What? No one told me. Should I have not been here for this whole conversation because it seems like a pretty big secret?” 

Hanzo could see the smirk starting to form at the idea of knowing something he shouldn’t. Professor Amari shook her head at him and their father simply sighed. 

“I trust you can keep this a secret, Genji?”

Genji nodded, looking properly somber now, “Of course, Professor.”

“In that case, continue, Hanzo.”

Hanzo told them everything, from Jesse’s desire to go out and run, to the entrance of the unknown man who knew who he was. He hesitated at that part, but his father inclined his head, indicating that it was ok to tell. He had suspected that at least Professor Amari and Professor Reyes were aware of his family’s underground activities. Hanzo continued his tale without hesitation from that point on, detailing their escape through the snow and Jesse’s sacrifice to protect him. He then explained how they escaped with the omamori charm and how they eventually traveled to the shoreline in hopes of finding a way back to the mainland. 

“And that’s when Professor Reyes and Professor Morrison arrived.”

Professor Amari sat back in her chair when he finished, looking deep in thought. His father seemed distant as well.

“That man who attacked…did it seem like Jesse knew him?” 

“He was a wolf at the time, so I’m not sure and once he changed back he was…well…” 

“Indisposed. We’ll have to ask him when he wakes again, but I have a theory about who that man was.”

“Mr. Shimada? If you could give us any leads we would appreciate it. I assure you that any information you give will be kept between myself, Jack, and Gabriel.”

His father pursed his lips, “I believe he was a partner we worked with in the past. You are aware of the organization Talon and of their member’s penchant for using that as their working name, correct?”

Professor Morrison finally spoke up, “Jesse mentioned this to me in private—don’t give me that look, Ana, the kid wanted to help. Anyway, he mentioned a Maximilien and another man who didn’t go by Mr. ‘Talon’, but appeared to be the same rank.”

“The man mentioned Maximilien.”

“Based on your description before and his mention of Maximilien, this sounds like Akande Ogundimu.”

“Why would he attack your son if he’s worked with your organization in the past?”

“It was nothing personal, knowing him. In fact, he probably felt that he was doing Hanzo a favor by giving him an opportunity to become stronger.” 

Professor Amari and Professor Morrison gave each other a look as if asking if either had heard the name before. Hanzo guessed they hadn’t. _At least my father was able to help them then._ Professor Amari stood up after a moment, giving Hanzo and Genji both a small smile.

“You’ve had a long few days. I’m glad you made it home safe, Hanzo. For now, why don’t you go rest? Genji, I trust that you can get him to the Ravenclaw dorm unless he would rather stay the night in Hogsmeade with you, Mr. Shimada?”

“I’m not staying,” his father stated, “I have to return home now that I know that my son is safe." 

If Hanzo was bothered, he didn’t show it, “I would rather stay in the dorm tonight. It’s familiar.”

“Of course. If you need to talk at all tonight or feel ill at all, please don’t hesitate to knock on my office door, Hanzo.”

There was a brief goodbye where his father quietly explained that he needed to look further into Talon’s current plans (he had _not_ been informed of this and was concerned about a flaw in his network). He gave both of his sons a quick, but loving farewell before leaving. Genji made sure that Hanzo was not only in his dorm, but in Angela’s hands before he left, and Angela made sure that Hanzo was situated up in his bed with a book and tea before leaving him. He felt a little embarrassed by the treatment, but he didn’t blame them. The last time they’d seen him he’d wandered off and gone missing for a few days. They were understandably protective. Before going to bed, Hanzo penned a quick letter to Jesse, which he sent off with his owl (his owl preferred to stay on his bedpost rather than up in the owlery). It was only after the owl had returned that he allowed himself to sleep for what seemed like the first time in a long while.

 

* * *

Stone ceiling. Warmth. Snoring? Jesse turned, his eyes blurry from sleep. Gabe was asleep in a chair beside the bed, snoring gently with each breath. Jesse smirked as he sat up. Glancing around, he figured out where he was fairly quickly. He was becoming far too familiar with the hospital wing. _I’m home…_ he thought. His memory was foggy, but he remembered the shoreline and Hanzo letting down the barrier. Gabe had found him—he had searched for him and succeeded. None of his other families had done that for him. Jesse watched Gabe, a strange feeling building in his chest. What was this sensation? He took a shaky breath in, still smiling at Gabe. Home. He was home.

He was about to lay back onto his pillow when he noticed a letter sitting on his lap, presumably left by an owl while he'd been sleeping. It took some finagling to open it with one hand, but eventually, he was able to break the wax seal and pull it out to see a tiny, neat script,

> Jesse,
> 
> I wanted to make sure that when you woke up you knew that everything was ok. I am well and from what I have been told, you are as well. Keep you chin up and I'll see you again soon.
> 
> -Hanzo

Jesse read through the letter twice before folding it back up and stuffing it under his pillow. He noticed that there was something else in the envelope and upturned it. A litte red and gold omamori fell onto the covers. Jesse picked it up and let himself curl up back under the covers, his hand clasped tight around the charm.


	18. Midnight Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse and Hanzo sneak down to the kitchens. Gabe and Jack share an important conversation.

Jesse was bored. Three days and he still hadn’t been allowed out of the hospital wing. He was at least allowed to get up and walk around now, but he hated being stuck up in the same place for longer than a few hours, let alone for days. What was worse was that his only visitors were Gabe, the other professors, and the Shimada brothers. From what he had gathered, Professor Amari wanted to keep the full situation on the down low, which meant that his other friends who weren’t directly involved hadn’t been able to come in to see him—not that that had stopped them from sending their well wishes. Jesse’s bedside table was overflowing with Get Well cards, magical treats, and various correspondences from Angela, Fareeha, and Lena. According to them, rumors had spread around the school about his misadventure that ranged from him and Hanzo having a duel that went sour to Jesse getting into a fistfight with a troll out in the forbidden forest. Apparently, Genji was encouraging the latter rumor. During his last visit, Hanzo had explained that while the professors weren’t giving any details, it seemed like someone had spread a good tale that would work to explain both his and Jesse’s disappearance. That rumor said that the two had simply gotten lost out in the snow and had happened to wander into the forbidden forest. While they were in there, they ran into trouble. It was a simple enough tale that could be brushed off with an “I don’t want to talk about it” should anyone ask for further details.

Jesse stood up for what felt like the six time in the past few minutes, going over to the window to stare out at the grounds. It had snowed again last night and he could see the other students playing in the freshly fallen snow. He thought he could make out someone who looked like Lena chasing after a girl with red hair. _I don’t see why I can’t go out. I feel fine._ That wasn’t entirely true, but the more he told himself he was fine, the better he would be. Since Professor Amari’s treatment, the sensation had returned to his arm and most of the pain was gone. He still got sudden bursts of discomfort, but they went away quickly. The injury wouldn’t heal completely, from what Gabe had explained, but he’d live. There’d been something strange about the way Gabe had said it and Jesse could tell he was holding something back, but he decided not to pry. He’d figure it out on his own soon enough.

The hospital wing door opened up and Jesse turned to see Hanzo coming in. He was dressed in his heavy outdoor cloak, the one that he’d given Jesse while they’d been stranded. It was clean now other than the thin layer of ice that covered it along with his hair.

“What are you doing up, Jesse? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“If I lay in that bed anymore I’m going to become it.”

“Fair. Still, you should listen to Professor Amari. The sooner you do, the sooner she’ll let you out.”

Jesse tried to cross his arms, but after finding the once familiar gesture impossible he settled for wrapping his arm around his waist. There were so many little things that he tried to do and constantly found that he couldn’t. Hanzo hadn’t missed the movement. 

“Professor Morrison mentioned the other day that he might have found someone who can make a replacement.”

That had been another challenge. Magical prosthetics weren’t usually an issue, but they had two problems when it came to Jesse: his wound was cursed, which would interfere with the magic, and he transformed once a month. Even the enchanters and crafters who were fine with the challenge of making something that would have to work with a cursed injury changed their minds once they found out it also had to make something compatible with a werewolf. Most claimed it was too much work, but Professor Morrison had been honest. Most people just didn’t want to work or interact with a werewolf.

“Has he spoken to them yet, or is this just another name in the phonebook?”

“Phonebook?”

Jesse smirked, “Muggle term. Anyway, tell me about the outside world. I’ve forgotten the sunlight and the feeling of walking.”

“It’s been snowing so no sun for any of us. Beyond that? Well, you’re still presumed dead by half the students—by my hand apparently.” 

Hanzo shrugged and sat down on Jesse’s bed, giving him a pointed look to come join him. Jesse, grumbling, went to sit down as well, sitting cross-legged on top of the covers. Once he’d sat down, Hanzo continued. 

“Let’s see…what else happened? It’s been pretty dull over the past few days, to be honest. I think the most exciting thing has been Quidditch practice. Genji has his first match of the year tomorrow. It’s Gryffindor versus Slytherin.”

Jesse tilted his head, “These are a big deal for the school I take it?” 

“Yes. Even for non-players, there’s a lot of rivalry and pride that rides on these matches.”

“When’s your first match?” 

“At the end of the month,” Hanzo said with a grin, “It’s Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff.”

Jesse flopped back onto the covers, looking up at the ceiling in annoyance. “Wonder if I can sneak out to watch tomorrow’s match. I don’t really see the point of sitting here any longer. Only nice thing about being stuck here is not having to do homework.”

“I meant to ask…” Hanzo hesitated and waited for Jesse to look over at him. “You’re left-handed, aren’t you? Erm…were rather?”

He flushed, looking away awkwardly. Jesse glanced over at the wrapped limb and let out a heavy sigh. 

“Yeah. Might have to go visit the wand maker apparently since it’s supposed to be a big deal what your wand hand is. I honestly haven’t tried anything since that night though.”

Jesse sat up slowly and then reached over to the bedside table, fishing out his wand from beneath the stack of well wishes. The wand was made of red oak with a dragon heartstring (he’d been a little unsettled when he’d learned about dragons). It was simple in design, with only a few carvings around the handle. Otherwise, it was unadorned. It felt unwieldy in his right hand and immediately he got the sense that he didn’t like the feel, not like when he’d first picked it out in Diagon Alley and felt the warmth from the bond. 

“It’s not right anymore, is it?” Hanzo asked, putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry. It’s hard to lose a wand.”

“You’ve lost one?” Jesse guessed.

Hanzo nodded, smirking a bit, “It was an accident. I got a little overly excited in dueling club when I first joined and it snapped.”

“How on earth did you manage that?” 

“Overly enthusiastic gesturing when trying to cast a spell I wasn’t ready for. It burst right in my hand—clean in the middle.”

Hanzo took out his wand, holding it out for Jesse to see. It was incredibly elegant, inlaid with a delicate design like rolling smoke or waves that was almost mesmerizing to look at. 

“Cherry with a dragon heartstring, “Hanzo explained, “My old wand was a willow wand with a phoenix feather. The wandmaker said it wasn’t a good combination, but it chose me so…”

Jesse looked back down at his wand, “I wonder if I’ll be able to use it once I get a prosthetic?”

“I honestly have no idea. You would have to ask a wandmaker or the enchanter who makes the prosthetic. Professor Morrison might know too.”

Hanzo carefully took the wand out of Jesse’s hand and set it back down on the table. He seemed troubled for a moment as if debating with himself before finally making a decision.

“I know I said you should rest so you can get out of here sooner but…”

“Please tell me you want to get out of here for a bit?”

Hanzo nodded slowly, “I think an escape might help you more than sitting here all day and night. I have an idea. Listen, have you been down to the kitchens?”

Jesse tilted his head, “We have kitchens? I thought the food was made with magic?”

“It’s complicated…essentially yes and no. There are house elves that work down in the kitchens. Hogwarts employs them. They make all of the food for us and if you just happen to go visit them down in the kitchens…well, let’s just say they like visitors.”

Hanzo grabbed one of his own letters and turned it over. He took out a pen (he was one of the only people Jesse had seen who used a pen—everyone else seemed to be stuck on quills) and quickly scribbled down some instructions, which he passed over to Jesse.

“After curfew, follow these directions and meet me down in the kitchens.”

Jesse grinned, folding up the paper and stuffing it into his night robe pocket, “A little adventure? Sounds like a plan.”

 

* * *

 

Gabriel glanced over the latest letter before tossing it aside. Jack looked over, arching an eyebrow. 

“I take it it’s another no?”

“Yup. You would think it would be easier to find someone willing to take on a challenge, but no. They’re too worried about the stigma.”

Jack set down his quill, “Any luck with finding Moira?”

“Seems like a dead end for now. No one knows where she’s run off to.” Gabriel sighed, scruffing his bead a little, “Normally I wouldn’t mind the challenge, but Jesse’s only got so much time.”

As usual, Jack was silent. Gabriel knew what he was thinking. They’d gotten into it the other night arguing over the matter. Jack didn’t seem to think there was a cure for the curse unless they managed to find Akande Ogundimu. Gabriel disagreed. It seemed like the two were always at odds when it came to Jesse McCree. They still hadn’t discussed the fact that Gabriel still wanted to adopt Jesse. He knew better than to bring it up. They would have to make a decision at some point though.

Gabriel stood up and stretched, checking his pocket watch (he hated that digital clocks didn’t work). It was nearly midnight. 

“You done grading those papers?”

“No. Why?”

“Figured we should go check on Jesse.” 

Jack looked away, shaking his head, “You do realize that’s the head nurse’s job? He’s fine, Gabe.” 

“I’m sure he’s fine, which is exactly why I want to check up on him.”

He knew Jesse was started to get restless and the last thing he needed was for him to get any ideas about wandering around the castle at night in his current state. Even though he was on the mend, he was still recovering. He could just see Jesse going and strolling off around the castle, only to faint from overexertion. Jack gave Gabriel a knowing look and stood up, stretching as well.

“Eh, I guess I’ve done enough work for tonight anyway.” He paused. “I haven’t forgotten what you said before all of this happened.”

Gabriel hesitated, “I’ve said a lot of things. Which thing are we talking about?”

“That you want to adopt the kid." 

“What are you, a damned mind reader?”

“I’m coming around to the idea,” Jack said quietly, “After this whole situation I can see that Jesse has changed from when you first brought him here. I don’t think the kid you brought here three months ago would have said no to Talon, let alone tried to protect someone.”

 _Then you really didn’t understand him when I first brought him here_ , Gabriel thought. Jack was right—the old Jesse would have joined Talon without hesitation, but that was the manipulated Jesse who didn’t know there were other options. One thing he was certain of though was that the old Jesse would have stepped in to protect someone if he thought they were a good person. That was the whole reason he’d given Jesse a chance to begin with. It made him wonder though what it was that Jack had seen to make him think that Jesse was beyond saving back when he’d first come to the wizarding world. He didn’t ask.

“We still have time to think about it. I don’t want to force you into something you’re not ready for.” Gabriel felt a small smile tug at his lips, “You know…he called me dad. I don’t think he remembers since he was…you know…but when I picked him up, he said it.”

 “You, a dad? I know we were just talking about the adoption, but I still can’t wrap my mind around that,” Jack grinned, “Mr. ‘I’m never going to settle down’ Reyes has a boyfriend and might have a kid soon. If someone had told me back during our school days that you’d consider things like that I would have told them they were nuts.”

“To be fair, I had no idea that a certain someone would ever want to settle down with me back then, let alone become an auror with me.”

Jack lightly kissed him on the cheek, “Well _to be fair_ I didn’t think a certain someone was actually interested in a long-term relationship. Come on, let’s go check up on Jesse.”

The two of them left the office and headed downstairs to the hospital wing. When Gabriel opened the door, he already had a sneaking suspicion of what he would find, but he swore nonetheless when he went in and saw that Jesse’s bed was empty. 

“Huh,” Jack commented, “Guess you do know him well.”

 

* * *

 

He wasn’t as stealthy as he would have liked. His steps were louder than usual and his balance felt off. That was to be expected. He’d spent the past few days stuck in a bed after all so he was a little bit stiff. Thankfully, he didn’t encounter anyone on the way down to the portrait that Hanzo had mentioned in his directions. It was a simple still life painting hung up on the wall. Feeling a little foolish, he went up to it and lightly tickled the pear. It immediately began to squirm and laugh before turning into a doorknob.

“…this might be one of the weirdest things I’ve seen here…” Jesse mumbled before he grabbed the doorknob and opened what was now a door.

The kitchens seemed to mirror the Great Hall. There were five large tables, just like the floor above. Against one wall were hundreds of pots and pans and at the end of the room was a large fireplace and oven. Jesse saw Hanzo was sitting at one of the tables, surrounded by food and small creatures with large, bat-like ears and round eyes. They were dressed in a motley of clothes that didn’t make sense, but Jesse found he didn’t care—they were strangely endearing and he as he walked up, nearly a dozen came sprinting over to him, taking his hand and leading him over to Hanzo. 

“It’s the other guest! Mr. Shimada said you would be coming!”

The elves helped him to take a seat before setting a plate in front of him and piling it with food of all sorts—most of which Jesse noted were specifically his favorites. Jesse immediately started in on the french fries and a burger.

“Glad you made it down without getting caught,” Hanzo mused, picking at something on his own plate that Jesse didn’t recognize, but assumed was some sort of egg dish.

“I’m good at sneaking around. I was more worried about you getting caught than me.”

For the most part, Hanzo spoke while they ate, telling Jesse more about things happening around the castle. At one point, the house elves (which Hanzo explained were paid employees of the castle who helped with the cooking and cleaning) brought over some mulled wine. Hanzo refused it, but Jesse took some. He was no stranger to alcohol, but he wasn’t prepared for how fast the wine hit him. It made him feel incredibly warm and giddy. After everything that had happened, it was an enjoyable experience. It was nice to just relax and talk with Hanzo about mundane things and to try to forget the last moon.

They were nearly through their fifth helping of food when the door to the kitchen open again and Gabriel, followed closely by Professor Morrison, entered. Jesse and Hanzo both startled and Jesse would have fallen off his seat if Hanzo hadn’t caught him.

“I know Professor Amari said you could leave tomorrow morning, but midnight doesn’t mean ‘morning’, kid.” Gabe said, coming over to the two, “Calm down, we’re just going to join you two for a snack too and to make sure you get back to your beds safe tonight.”

“You’re not going to yell--?”

Morrison sat down next to Hanzo, “I’m tempted to yell at you for sneaking out, but—McCree are you drinking?”

Jesse looked at the empty glass, “Technically no?”

Gabe shook his head and looked over to the house elves, “I need a drink too.”

They came back a moment later with something much stronger than wine. Gabe gave both Hanzo and Jesse a very serious look before stating the most cliché thing Jesse thought he’d ever heard him say: 

“If you’re going to do underage drinking, that’s fine, but drink with us so we can look out for you.”

Jesse couldn’t help it—he burst out laughing.

“Good job, Gabe. You broke him. Look, he’s actually smiling now.”

Jesse could see Hanzo smirking out of the corner of his eye and he lightly nudged him with his elbow.

“In all seriousness though,” Morrison added, “Please stop sneaking around? At least until you’re completely healed?”

“Fiiiine,” Jesse agreed, “So until tomorrow, I, Jesse McCree, won’t sneak around the castle at night.”

Hanzo held back a laugh.

“Jesse…”

Gabe’s voice had a note of warning in it. Jesse sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Fiiiiine. In that case, let’s hurry up with getting me a replacement arm soon? I mean, we’re in a world with magic. Shouldn’t this be easy?”

The mood shifted. Gabe and Morrison exchanged glances and Hanzo looked down at his plate. Jesse bit his lip, suddenly feeling awkward.

“We’re working on it, kid. Just give it some time.”

“You don’t have to act all weird about it,” Jesse mumbled, “It’s not something to feel guilty about. I made my bed and this is the result. Think of it as my karma.”

“…Karma? Jesse, what do you mean?”

He didn’t look up at Hanzo’s question, “Well…it isn’t like I was a good person before all of this happened—by this I mean Hogwarts. I did bad stuff for Mr. Tal—Maximilian and I know I did horrible fucking things as a werewolf. This is like the universe trying to balance things. Just because I’m not as bad now doesn’t erase what I did.”

Jesse’s throat felt tight and he refused to look up or acknowledge his blurring vision.

“You don’t really think that kid, do you?”

“You told me yourself Gabe that I bit two or three people and that the logs have other shit in them. Let’s face it—I’m going to be trying to clean up my ledger for the rest of my life. Even if I do good, I’ve still gotta be punished and this is the start.”

He grabbed onto the stump of his arm, feeling himself tensing as he fought to maintain composure. He wished he had his hat. Gabe reached over, turning Jesse so he was facing him before putting his hand very gently under his chin, forcing him to look up.

“If you were a bad person—if you had no hope for redemption—I wouldn’t have brought you back here to Hogwarts. What happened to you wasn’t a punishment. It was just shit luck.”

“And bravery,” Hanzo chimed in, “I would have died from that curse if you hadn’t pushed me out of the way. If it is a punishment, then why did it come from a good act? No, this isn’t the universe punishing you, Jesse. It’s just like Professor Reyes said. Sometimes bad things happen.”

Jesse started when Morrison put a hand on his shoulder, “You did well, Jesse. Not many people would knowingly jump in front of a curse. So stop beating yourself up about the past and start focusing on who you are now. It’s the actions you take now that define you.”

Jesse sniffed, acutely aware of the fact that his cheeks were red. “I don’t want to go back to the hospital wing tonight.” _I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts._

Since the incident, he’d been taking sleeping potions every night to help him sleep. This kept him from thinking about his situation and the events leading up to it. Now though all of the thoughts were back in full force and he wasn’t ready to sit alone in the hospital wing simmering in those thoughts.

Gabe and Morrison exchanged looks before Gabe said, “Jack will tell the head nurse where you are. We can set up a bed in my room for you tonight.”

It was a somber end to what had started out as a fun evening. Hanzo was escorted back to Ravenclaw tower and Gabe led Jesse to his room located in a wing off from his office. It didn’t take long for him to conjure up an extremely comfortable looking cot at the foot of his bed. He set it up with lots of blankets and pillows before helping Jesse to bed.

“You don’t need anything for the pain tonight, right? What about a sleeping potion?”

He was tempted to say yes to the potion, but instead, he found himself shaking his head no.

“Alright then. Get some sleep, kid. I’ll be right here if you decide you do need something to help you sleep.” He let out a heavy sigh, “You’re not a bad person. I’ll keep saying that until you believe it, Jesse because trust me, if you’re a bad person then I’m a monster.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You know I’m an auror and that I’m part of Blackwatch. We don’t always have the cleanest means to an end.” He shook his head before tucking making sure the that Jesse was tucked in. “Don’t think on it too much—on any of it too much tonight. You hear? Just think about that quidditch game tomorrow and about all of the homework you’re going to have to make up after it.”

“Wait I have to do all of the work I missed?! But that’s a week's worth of stuff!”

“And it’ll be even more if we don’t get you a new wand this weekend. So get some sleep because it’s going to be a busy weekend for you.”


	19. Diagon Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse goes to get a new wand.

Jesse ended up missing the Quidditch match after sleeping in too late. He had trouble falling asleep the night before, even though he was in Gabe’s room. He couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling building in his stomach. All night he stared up at the ceiling, his gut twisting as he thought about what the others had said. It was difficult to believe that they didn’t think all of this was the universe trying to right itself. Once sleep had finally snatched him, Gabe had found it was almost impossible to wake him the next morning.

So it was that by the time Jesse finally woke up it was almost two in the afternoon. At some point, Gabe had left a pile of clothes at the end of his bed, which Jesse changed into. There was a note as well, telling him to go to Professor Morrison’s office once he was up. Jesse ran a hand through his hair before grabbing his now useless wand and heading out. 

People were still wandering the halls after the Quidditch match. He heard their whispers as he passed them. Most consisted of shocked ‘so he _is_ alive!’s. He kept his head high as he walked, his expression blank as he could manage. At least with his robes on it wasn’t as easy to spot his current condition. By the time he got up to Professor Morrison’s office though he was more than a little self-conscious, as much as he tried to tell himself that he didn’t care what other people said.

Professor Morrison was busy grading papers when Jesse walked in. Professor Morrison set his quill down and nodded for Jesse to sit down, which he obliged. 

“Good to see you up and about. Gabriel’s away at the moment, but he’ll meet us over in Diagon Alley later if he has time.” 

“Wait, _you’re_ taking me to Diagon Alley?”

Professor Morrison smirked, “Don’t sound too enthusiastic now. Yes, I’ll be taking you since he’s busy and time is of the essence. We need to get you a new wand before you get too far behind on your work.”

Jesse took out his old wand, holding it out somewhat awkwardly. It was leaden in his grasp, no longer light and warm.

“It doesn’t work anymore, right?”

“Why does it matter which hand I’m using? It’s just a tool to help us channel our power, right?”

Jesse still couldn’t believe those words were coming out of his mouth. Magic. He’d seen it in action, used it himself, been on the receiving end of it, turned into a werewolf once a month, and yet it still felt like such a foreign concept—a dream that he half expected to wake up from.

“Well I’m no wandmaker, but to my understanding wands are particular. They have a magic of their own. What’s that old saying? ‘The wand chooses the wizard’.”

“And it can just reject me now because I’m using the wrong hand?”

Professor Morrison shrugged, “Seems so. If you don’t need to get anything from your dorm, we can leave now.” 

Jesse looked down at his feet, “I ah…”

“Gabriel left money, don’t worry.”

His cheeks turned red and he gave a small nod as he got to his feet, “I’ll pay him back when I can. Wizards can work summer jobs, right?”

Professor Morrison frowned slightly, looking back at Jesse, “He doesn’t expect you to pay him back, at least not that way—and he doesn’t expect you to pay him back by working for him before you assume that. He just wants you to do well.”

Jesse hummed a small, noncommittal note. He watched Professor Morrison go to pick up a small bag off of his desk before he led the way out of the office. After a brief walk they came to the headmaster’s office (the entrance was certainly interesting, as well as the password—el shamadan, which was a type of candy he learned). Professor Amari wasn’t inside, but that didn’t stop Professor Morrison as he went up to the fireplace and held out the bag to Jesse.

“You’ve used floo powder before, right?”

“No, but Hanzo told me about it.” 

“Well, let’s review so you don’t end up in the wrong place—that’s the last thing we need. You’re going to take a handful of the powder, walk into the fireplace, and say the destination, which in this case is Diagon Alley, then throw down the powder. Be sure to speak clearly and to keep your arms close to your body.” 

“Sounds easy enough.”

Jesse went to the offered bag, grabbed a handful of powder, tossed it in, then walked into the green fire seemingly without hesitation. He hadn’t felt any heat coming from it to begin with and as soon as he stood inside of the flames he found that it still wasn’t hot. He looked up to Professor Morrison, who watched him shrewdly before he said,

“Diagon Alley.” 

Immediately he felt a whoosh. Unlike when Hanzo used his trinket, this time he felt like he was spinning rapidly. He immediately shut his eyes and clutched his arm to his chest. After what might have been ten or fifteen seconds it all stopped and he was spat out onto the ground, where he landed with a thud. He groaned as he pushed himself up, blinking to clear his eyes of the ash that clung to his lashes.

He was in what looked like a pub. It was old-fashioned and warm with candles twinkling all around him. It smelled of fresh bread and beer (one moreso than the other). Given that it was a Saturday afternoon it was no surprise that it was bustling.

There was hissing sound behind him and Professor Morrison suddenly appeared, walking out off of the grate with quite a bit more dignity than he had. He looked down at Jesse before shaking his head and coming over to help him up. 

“Well, at least you made it to the right place which is more than some first-time travelers can say.” 

He brushed some of the soot from Jesse’s robes before turning to head out of the pub without preamble. Jesse followed after him, casting a curious eye around him as he went through the pub. Like the first time he’d come he noticed all of the people were dressed in an assortment of odd clothes. _They better not expect me to dress like this one day…_ he thought. Bad enough that stereotypical witch’s hats were a thing. At least his hat was somewhat normal (where he was from).

It was chilly out in Diagon Alley and Jesse wished he had a warmer cloak. He wrapped his arm around himself, doing his best to draw his cloak around himself like the oversized blanket that it was. The gesture wasn’t missed by Professor Morrison. He glanced over at Jesse and said quietly,

“We should get you a winter cloak while we’re here as well…and maybe some new clothes. You’ve gotten taller since you bought those.”

“Huh. Miracles can happen.”

He thought he heard Professor Morrison chuckled.

Thankfully, the walk to the wand shop wasn’t too long. It was run by an odd old wizard with wild white hair and unsettling eyes. The first time he’d come to the shop the wizard ha immediately noted his condition simply based on how some of the wands behaved when he tested them out. It had been an unnerving experience that left Jesse with the feeling that the shopkeeper knew more about him than Jesse knew about the shopkeeper.

Stepping inside of the warm shop, they found the man at the front organizing some boxes. He turned to them, a wide smile on his face. 

“Ah, Mr. Morrison—you didn’t break another wand, did you? Hawkthorn and dragon heartstring, 12 inches? And who is this? Mr. McCree--red oak and dragon heartstring, 12 inches—adaptable, but temperamental.”

Jesse stared at him, “You remember my wand?”

“Mr. Ollivander remembers every wand he makes,” Professor Morrison acknowledged before continuing, “Mr. Ollivander, we have a slight problem with Mr. McCree’s wand. He got into some trouble recently and the wand won’t respond to him any longer.”

The man turned his pale eyes on Jesse, tracing over his face to where his wand hand had been.

“I see…how unfortunate. I am sorry for your loss and predicament, Mr. McCree. If I may see the wand?”

Jesse took out his wand and passed it over to Mr. Ollivander who took it delicately into his hands. He mumbled a short incantation, which resulted in a spray of blooming red sparks. After a moment, he passed it back to Jesse, his face sad.

“You may be able to use this wand again in time but for now it won’t respond to you. It is nothing against you. While red oak is adaptable, this may be a case of a wand’s will no longer matching the wizard’s.”

“What do you mean?” Jesse asked, “What ‘will’?”

“I imagine that you’ve changed since your incident and indeed since you first picked up that wand. Keep it—it may suit you again one day.” Mr. Ollivander gave him a soft smile, “Now let’s try to find you a new match.”

And so began the long process of finding a replacement. It started with the enchanted measuring tape running through his measurements and ended with a stack of ten rejected wands and a rather frustrated Jesse. _What if I can’t use a wand anymore or magic for that matter?_ He’d just started to get used to his situation and now it seemed like the rug was being ripped out from under him, threatening to wake him up for his new reality.

“Don’t look so grim,” Professor Morrison said while Ollivander ran back to the shelves, “You’ll find one. It took me almost two hours to find my most recent one.” 

“How about this one?” Mr. Ollivander asked, coming back over with a wand made of a warm, pale wood. “Rowan and phoenix feather, 12 inches.” 

Jesse took the offered wand and immediately felt a warmth spread through his fingers and up his arm. The wand emitted a soft glow of gold that slowly faded.

“Rowan—good for defensive charms and duelists,” Professor Morrison said.

“Indeed. I believe that is what Mr. Reyes’ wand is, is it not?”

Jesse felt a smile tug at his lips as he looked down at the new wand. It was incredibly simple in design, featuring only a small pattern towards the bottom where the handle would have been that looked like elongated hexagons. 

After the wand was paid for, Professor Morrison and Jesse stopped to buy him some new robes (he’d grown two inches since he bought the previous pair in August) and then went back to the pub that they landed in, which Jesse learned was called the Leaky Cauldron. He ordered them both mugs of butterbeer while they waited for a bit to see if Gabe would show up.

“So it’s called butterbeer. Does that mean it actually has alcohol or—?”

“A bit,” Professor Morrison acknowledged, “It’s a bit like ‘near beer’. Nothing you really have to worry about.” 

Jesse smirked mischievously at him, “Why would I be worried about it?” 

He took a long drink of the butterbeer, finding it to be incredibly foamy and almost too sweet for his tastes. He gave a bit of a shudder, wishing for something a little less syrupy. It was warm though, which was a comfort after the cold of Diagon Alley. Jesse took out his wand while Professor Morrison silently drank his own beer. It was going to take some time to get used to using his right hand for spellwork. He’d trained to shoot with either hand, but casting spells was a different sort of dexterity.

“I think there’s more to your wand changing than just you losing your wand hand.” 

The comment came out of nowhere. Jesse looked up from his wand, confusion in his eyes. Professor Morrison was studying him, his brow furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

He saw Professor Morrison hesitate, his jaw working as if debating what words to use before he finally settled. 

“Nothing you need to worry about.” He took out a pocket watch. “Hmm…still at work. Alright then, we’ll order some food then before we head back.”

Professor Morrison ordered them both steak and kidney pies, which Jesse discovered was something like a potpie filled with bits of meat and vegetables. The top had a crispy crust on it that was perfect for soaking up the sauce. Jesse was more than satisfied by the time he’d finished his meal. Professor Morrison got them one final drink before they went back to the fire and used the floo network to return to Hogwarts. Overall, Jesse couldn’t say that it had been a bad day with Professor Morrison, but he still couldn’t shake the tension he felt around him. He couldn’t say whether it was a mutual tension or whether he was simply still nervous around him, but when the two parted ways Professor Morrison’s “have a good evening” seemed genuine, as did his smile.

It was a little strange to return to the dormitory. Almost as soon as he stepped into the common room, a hush fell over everyone inside. Some had the decency to pretend like they hadn’t noticed him come on while others blankly stared. Genji, Lena, and Fareeha stared, then ran over, greeting him warmly.

“Jesse! You’re back! It’s good to see you!”

“Mom mentioned you would be coming back to the dormitory today. Glad that you’re back on your feet.”

“Thank you for looking after my brother!” Genji half shouted before bear-hugging Jesse. He let go after a rather awkward pause.

“You got our letters, right?”

“And my card? Mom said she would give them to you—“

“Did you eat all of the candy we sent?”

Jesse found himself grinning at them, trying in vain to answer each question that came, only to be interrupted by the next. The atmosphere in the common room had returned to normal by the time that Genji was leading him up to the boy’s dormitory (at Fareeha’s insistence that her mom had made her promise that Jesse would go to bed at a reasonable time).

Back in his four-poster bed, he felt himself relax. He hadn’t realized how tense staying in the hospital wing had made him. He rolled over, curling himself up into a cocoon with the blankets. Sleep didn’t come easy, but when he did finally manage to catch it, he didn’t have any nightmares. Instead, he dreamt of running in his wolf form through the desert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit lackluster, I know.
> 
> I had to wrap up everything though before we could get back to the exciting stuff~  
> As always, thank you for all of the kind comments and kudos. They kept me going through my finals and keep me pushing forward with writing this fanfic~
> 
> Thank you guys!


	20. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse gains new information and has a few important meetings.

Life at Hogwarts slowly began to return to normal. Despite all that had happened, those directly involved seemed determined not to talk about it anymore, even with each other. Morrison and Gabe didn’t bring up their search for an enchanter and Hanzo didn’t speak about the night at the shack, which was fine with Jesse. He didn’t want to think about it anymore. There was only so long he could brood on it before he drove himself mad. That said, those outside of the situation weren’t so courteous. The first day Jesse returned to class he was practically bombarded with questions about what had happened, until Hanzo stepped in and told everyone to back off. That didn’t stop the constant rumors and whispers he heard while he went through the halls. Thankfully, he had enough going on to help distract him, including trying to relearn wandwork now that he was trying to cast spells using his right hand. It wasn’t as difficult as he had thought it would be, but his reaction time still wasn’t close to what it had been. He’d mentioned going back to dueling club to try to fix this, but Morrison had adamantly refused to allow him to join until they were certain that he was fully recovered and unfortunately, Gabe agreed with him. 

This left Jesse with a lot of ‘free time’ which was now spent in the library where he tried to cram five years worth of missed magical education into his head. For someone not used to long hours of focusing on tiny letters and cramming knowledge, it was a dreadful, if necessary, experience. Hanzo, Angela, and Fareeha joined him when they could, but Quidditch was ramping up and the three of them were usually busy, leaving Jesse alone to his work. He missed their company and although he wouldn’t admit it, he was a little jealous of them. It was easy to get lonely and stir-crazy in a library it turned out.

“You’re here again? You’re allowed to take a break you know, Mr. McCree.”

Jesse looked up wearily from the latest tome he was reading ( _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3_ ). He pushed back his hat a bit, giving Professor Amari a wry smirk.

“It’s not even close to _that_ time of the month. What brings you to the library, professor?”

“Even professors have to look things up once in a while.”

And indeed she had a large stack of books in her arms, which she sat down on the table he was working at. She looked down briefly at the text he was studying

“You’re onto third-year work already?”

Jesse nodded, “Professor Morrison and Professor Torbjörn told me to move on. I’ve passed all of the theoretical stuff from the standard second-year curriculum so…” 

“That’s quite a large jump. It took you a while to get through the first year curriculum—not that you took your time about it, but you seem to have a renewed interest.”

Jesse took a deep breath and gave what he hoped was an innocent smile, “It’s just all sinking in now—magic I mean.”

“Is that all it is?”

Professor Amari studied him for a long moment before fishing something out of her pocket, which turned out to be a chocolate frog. She put it on top of his book.

“Go ahead and give yourself a break, Mr. McCree. You’ve more than earned it.”

He picked up the frog before asking, “Professor Amari? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You’ll be honest? Not like Gabe and Professor Morrison?”

Professor Amari arched an eyebrow, “I’ve never known them not to be honest, but go ahead and ask your question.”

“My arm…there’s more to it than they let on, isn’t there? They keep saying that the reason the enchanters won’t work on it is because I’m what I am, but that’s not just it?”

It was the little things that had tipped him off—the way Gabe constantly asked every time he saw Jesse how he was feeling rather than how he was doing. It was how Professor Morrison watched him closely during class and reminded him not to push himself. It was the way he started to notice the spidery purple veins crawling up the supposedly ‘healed’ limb and the way he would sometimes get strange, sharp pains. There was something wrong and he knew it.

Professor Amari’s expression only changed a little. She let out a sigh and gently pushed the book shut that he’d been reading.

“Why don’t you come up to my office, Jesse?” 

He understood that tone. He nodded and packed up his things, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He ate his chocolate frog as he walked, a feeling of dread anticipation starting to gurgle in his stomach.

Once in her office, she made up some tea and set out a plate of, to Jesse’s surprise, Oreos. She then went over to a bookshelf and took out two books, which she sat down on her desk before sitting down herself.

“The last I checked, your wound had almost completely healed. What makes you think that there’s more going on?”

“I’m not stupid, Professor. I’ve seen the way Gabe looks at me now and since I left the hospital wing he’s been even more stressed than usual. It’s like he thinks I’m going to fall over randomly from sneezing.”

“Have you considered that perhaps he’s just worried because he almost lost you? I’m sure you’re aware of how fond he is of you.”

Jesse picked up the cup of tea in front of him, taking a tentative sip of it. It was bitter, which was how he preferred it. He watched Professor Amari open up one of the books, which he noticed was handwritten and dated to about a week ago—the day that he’d returned to Hogwarts with Hanzo.

“What do you know about cursed wounds, Jesse?”

“Hanzo said they weren’t like normal ones—things can’t be grown back or healed through normal spells.”

“He was correct. Curses are notoriously difficult to manage even in the best of circumstances, but when experimental magic is involved, things get even trickier. Normally I would have been able to find a counter curse, assuming your attacker had used something more traditional.”

“You mean he made his own spell?”

“It seems so…which was why we had to improvise when healing you.” She paused. “May I see your arm?”

Jesse obliged, taking off his robe before pushing up the sleeve of his shirt to about his bicep. The skin looked irritated and the veins seemed to stand out even more than they had just that morning. Professor Amari looked grim.

“So it’s progressing faster than we had hoped.”

“Progressing? What, like a poison or something?”

“Like a poison or rot—neither image is pleasant, however, this is, unfortunately, the case. I was able to seal the curse, but only for a time.”

“So what happens once the seal breaks?”

“You’ll die.”

She didn’t beat around the answer or sugar coat it. Her honesty though was what he needed. Jesse fell back a bit into the chair, looking down into the little teacup.

“Can’t you just remove more of the affected area or--?”

“The curse may originate from your injury, but it has roots in you now.”

“So it’s only a matter of time.”

He set the cup down, closing his eyes as he did. It was almost a relief to have an answer, even if it hurt. It explained why no enchanters wanted to try to work on him either. From what Jesse had been reading, the charms in enchanting were complex enough (especially when trying to create an item that would be compatible with a werewolf) without having a curse to bypass.

“Only Gabe and Professor Morrison know? Hanzo doesn’t know, right?”

“Correct. I know this must be difficult for you to hear, but I promise you that we’re looking into a solution. Gabe’s been searching for someone who can help and Jack’s looking for your attacker. I have people at St. Mungos looking into your case as well.”

“But they haven’t found either person and I’m guessing St. Mungos isn’t having any luck either. It’s fine, Professor Amari—I’m fine. I’m just glad I know now.”

Now he could do something. As if sensing his intentions, Professor Amari gave him a stern look.

“For now the best thing you can do is continue your studies and try not to push yourself too hard.”

“Of course, Professor.”

She softened, “Have a little faith in adults, Jesse, especially ones who care about you. We’ll find an answer.”

 

* * *

 

As much faith as Jesse had in adults, he wasn’t about to let someone else control his fate. He was stubborn, if nothing else. While he was sure that Gabe had an underground network he could tap into to try to find this mysterious ‘Moira’ person, Jesse figured he could find a way to find her himself. He’d heard rumors about the Slytherin girl who called herself Sombra. She was a bit eccentric with her flashy hair, clothes, and personality, but somehow she always managed to go under the radar whenever she felt like it was time to slip away (particularly after pulling a prank). From what Jesse had learned, if you needed information, she could find it. It was a little odd to think that a kid would have that sort of power, but as the rumors went she was a bit of a seer (there were also rumors that she was just very good at listening spells).

He found her sitting in the Great Hall of all places playing wizard chess. As soon as she saw Jesse coming over, she quickly jumped into a checkmate and shooed her opponent away.

“Good, you’re finally here. I’ve been toying with him for the past twenty minutes waiting.” 

“Oh sure, because you knew I was coming?” he asked sarcastically.

“Not just that you were coming, but why—I didn’t even need any fancy spells to figure that out though. You need help with that arm of yours. So what do you want? Person who did it or person who can heal you?”

Jesse blinked, “Well aren’t you a good con?” 

She grinned at him, “Con? Hah. Good one. But seriously, which do you want? I charge for this sort of stuff and there’s no way you can afford both answers.”

“What happens if the information is shit?” Which he suspected it would be.

“You get a refund. I’m nothing else if a woman of my word. Just ask some of my other clients.”

“Tell me where Moira is then if you’re ‘all seeing’.”

“Not all seeing on this one, just clever.” She took out a bit of parchment, “See even in the wizarding world, people leave trails, whether they mean to or not. Here’s Moira’s current location. She should be there for a while too trying to establish herself after the mess at St. Mungos”

Jesse arched an eyebrow at her. “You knew I was going to ask about her? I didn’t even know her name until this afternoon.”

“That one _was_ Seeing.”

He couldn’t tell if she was joking. “Alright, what’s the cost?”

“I already know you don’t have money, but lucky for you I don’t deal in currency. It gets a bit sticky trying to do that. I deal in favors. For this order…, I’d say you owe me something pretty decent. Normally I’d say homework for a month, but you’re behind on that, aren’t you? For you, it’ll be a demand I can collect on later.”

He didn’t hesitate. “No deal.”

“Oh come on, it won’t be like the demands your old friends used to make…you know, the ones in the Deadlock Gang?”

He felt a shiver run down his spine. Jesse stared at her, his face icy.

“Don’t look so surprised. It wasn’t that hard to figure out. You were all the teachers could talk about for a while. Anyway, this isn’t a deal you’re going to want to pass up. Time’s of the essence, right?”

“Fuck you,” Jesse snapped, getting to his feet.

“It’s not like I’m going to ask you to kill someone, puppy.”

That made him pause. Jesse glared at her, clenching his jaw.

“Ah, so you are willing to make a deal. I promise it won’t be anything you’ll object to later. In fact, it might even be something you’ll enjoy.”

“It sounds like you already have something in mind." 

She looked down at her nails, “I might. Look, think of me making this deal with you as an investment. I want to collect, which means I’ll only give you good information because I want you to live. Make sense?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Then we have a deal?”

Jesse hesitated before nodding, “We do.”

“Great,” Sombra said before passing him over the parchment, “If you have any questions, let me know. Consider it all part of the package.”

He looked down at the parchment briefly, then pocketed it. Sombra smirked at him before giving an exaggerated wave.

“It was nice chatting with you, Jesse. I look forward to our future business.”

* * *

Jesse didn’t act immediately on the information that Sombra gave him. He kept the little bit of parchment folded up in his pocket, a heavy weight that remained in his mind for over a week until December rolled in. Hogwarts had a brief break from the snow only to have it suddenly fall in earnest. The snow was one of the reasons that Jesse was hesitating. His current plan was to leave the castle under the cover of darkness, escaping through the whomping willow and into Hogsmeade. He knew where he could get supplies from now too thanks to Hanzo introducing him to the kitchens. He could find this Moira person on his own. No one else had to trouble themselves trying to help him. No one else had to get hurt because of him.

And yet, here he was sitting up on top of the Astronomy tower, bundled up in his winter cloak and a blanket, staring up at the gloomy night sky instead of doing something useful. Jesse took a drink from the mug he’d brought up with him—spiked hot chocolate—he’d gotten the vodka from Sombra after she asked him why he hadn’t done anything yet). _You can’t even see the stars tonight_.

Jesse started when he heard the sound of footsteps heading up the stairs. He quickly got up and crept over to the edge of the tower, hiding in the shadows, until he saw a figure emerge. He sighed, straightening up.

“Hanzo shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I could ask you the same question. I take it you couldn’t sleep again?”

“What?”

“You’ve been sneaking out of bed all week. Don’t look at me like that, you’re not nearly as subtle as you think you are. Genji heard you heading out a few days ago.”

Jesse grimaced, “I’m getting clumsy.”

He’d been one of the stealthiest members of the Deadlock Gang. He’d unintentionally scared Gabe multiple times after he’d first decided to take him in when. Whenever Jesse was walking and Gabe hadn’t expected him to be there, Gabe would pivot on the spot, wand in hand, ready to send Jesse to kingdom come, only to swear and chide him once he realized it was just Jesse. Since coming to Hogwarts the involuntary habit had lessened, but now he felt out of practice. _All the more reason for me to hold off going to find Moira._

“What’s been keeping you awake?”

Hanzo came over to stand next to Jesse, looking out over the grounds rather than at Jesse. His long black hair was loosely tied back and Jesse found himself vaguely wondering if he’d brushed it before leaving Ravenclaw tower, or if he just hadn’t had a chance to go to bed yet.

“It’s nothing. Just stupid thoughts.”

“That doesn’t sound like nothing.”

Jesse heaved a sigh before tugging at his cloak a bit.

“We’ve been through a lot, Jesse. I would have thought you trusted me enough now to open up.” He paused. “I haven’t forgotten what you said down in the kitchens. Is this still about your past?”

“No,” Jesse said definitively, “And it’s not that I don’t trust you, I promise. I just…have a lot of thoughts that I need to work through on my own.” _And I can’t let you get caught in the crossfire again._

“I see…”

“Hanzo…” Jesse took his hand into his own, “I’m telling the truth. I do trust you…”

“Then why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

Jesse pulled his hand away and looked back out at the grounds.

“I’m not worried about your past you know.” Hanzo pursed his lips, “What do you know about my family?”

“Nothing you haven’t told me…” He’d considered looking into the Shimada’s after the incident at the shack, but ultimately he’d decided against it. If Hanzo wanted him to know, then he would tell him and if not, then that was his secret to keep.

“If you knew about my family, you wouldn’t be so ashamed of your past.” Hanzo took a deep breath. “I come from a crime family. We mostly deal in black market magical items, but I suspect that my family dabbles in other criminal activities as well.”

Jesse stared at him. Hanzo was gazing out with an almost painfully calm expression at the snowy forest.

“That’s why, if you are blaming yourself for any of this, or think that you need to protect me from it, you should stop. Ogundimu recognized me too after all.”

“You knew from the start then about the Deadlock Gang, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“And you still wanted to be my friend? Despite that?”

“Despite that and your condition, yes…well, initially not so much because I thought you were an arrogant ass.” He smiled almost sadly, “Are you mad?”

“Why would I be mad? You knew all of that and you still wanted to get to know me.” Jesse hesitantly took his hand again, “Thank you for trusting me…not just back then, but trusting me now too. It’s not easy, bringing up things like your family.”

Hanzo’s hand tightened around his, his other going tentatively to brush away some of the hair that had fallen into Jesse’s face.

“Whatever you’re planning on doing Jesse, whatever is making you hesitate…I’m here for you.”

He could almost hear the unspoken words ‘I’m not scared’ that seemed to echo in Hanzo’s brown eyes. Jesse leaned forward, resting his forehead on Hanzo’s. He closed his eyes, half expecting Hanzo to pull away. Jesse vaguely remembered the way the two had stayed close together during their misadventure, comforted by the nearness of one another. It was a very strange feeling that he couldn’t explain. There were very few people he’d ever felt comfortable enough around to touch, let alone in such a prolonged and intimate way. He could feel the warmth of Hanzo’s breath, steady as ever. He’d said he trusted Hanzo…

“I need to tell you something.”  

And so he told him everything that Professor Amari and Sombra had told him before taking out the piece of parchment, passing it over to him. Hanzo unfolded it, reading it with a frown before passing it back over.

“You should give this information to Professor Reyes.”

“So he can keep solving my problems? This is one I can take care of myself.”

“And what will you do? Find this Moira and demand she fix your wound? Then what? Pay her with yet another deal? At least Sombra’s mostly trustworthy. We don’t know anything about Moira.”

“I know—”

“—That your plan is folly?” Hanzo smirked at him, “Good.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, but you realize it, don’t you? Just tell Professor Reyes. Maybe you can convince him to let you come along? I’m sure this healer would like to meet her potential patient after all.”

Jesse sighed, “You’re right.”

“Of course I am, but I don’t tire of you telling me that.”

Jesse shook his head at Hanzo before going over to pick up the mug he’d left behind earlier. He took a long drink of it, making a bit of a face when he realized that it was now cold. Hanzo arched an eyebrow before taking the mug from his hand, taking a sip as well before making a face.

“What did you put in this?”

“Something with a bite.”

“You have terrible taste,” he said, handing the mug back to Jesse who then finished off the drink.

“Well next time you have something good share.”

 

The two parted ways once they got to the Grand Staircase. Walking back to the Gryffindor dormitory, Jesse briefly considered leaving now and continuing with his foolhardy plan, but the thought of disappointing Hanzo kept him moving to Gryffindor tower. Heading back to bed, he stared up at the canopy overhead. _Don’t think anyone’s ever gotten me to change my mind before once it’s been made up._ He rubbed the spot on his forehead briefly before turning over and going to bed.


	21. December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse is forced to face the full moon for the first time since the Incident. There's a trip to Hogsmeade and the holidays too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed a small continuity error (I missed a full moon, whoops!) about ten minutes after I posted this chapter the other day so unfortunately, the holiday chapter doesn't have quite the cheer that I intended at the beginning, but don't worry, it gets happier~ Happy Holidays everyone.

Jesse looked across the desk at the potion. It was the same ritual, as if nothing had changed, and yet at the same time, everything was different. He picked up the smoking potion and stared down at the contents, running his finger along the rim of the mug.

Gabe sighed, trying not to look grim, “It’ll be the same as usual, but for now on you’ll be having your transformations in the hospital wing. We’ve set up a secluded area for you so you can transform in private.”

“What’ll happen when I change tonight?”

Gabe sat down on the desk, “I’m not going to lie kid: we’re not sure. Professor Amari told you everything about the cursed wound?”

Jesse nodded.

“The curse could spread during your transformation, or remain the same. Don’t worry though—Jack and I will be there with you.”

“What? Why will Jack be there? What about Professor Amari?”

“Ana has other business to handle tonight and Jack is more than capable of helping you if something goes wrong." 

Jesse arched an eyebrow at Gabe, then took the potion, shuddering before he said, “If you say so.”

Gabe remained with Jesse in his office until it was time to go down to the hospital wing. Jesse was tempted to ask if Hanzo could come as well, but there was something about the tension from Gabe that made him decide against it. Jesse thought that Gabe might be more nervous than him. Even after Professor Morrison arrived at the hospital wing, Gabe didn’t change. He remained on edge, constantly looking towards the window as the sun set and the moon began to rise.

“If I didn’t know better I’d think you were the one changing,” Jesse teased in a half-hearted way.

Professor Morrison smirked, “Not to ask the standard question, but are you alright?”

“The moon’s not high enough,” Jesse said, peering over at the window, “Soon though.”

They waited in silence. Jesse fidgeted with the sterile blanket of the bed he was sitting on. He never thought he’d miss the shack. He was about to mention this when he felt the initial jolt. Hearing him hiss, Gabe and Professor Morrison looked over at him, concern in their eyes. 

“Jesse?” 

“Technically alright…”

“Transforming into a giant mutt isn’t alright.”

Jesse winced, still grinning, “Can we define alright then tonight because right now, alright is ‘yes, I’m transforming but it isn’t different than norm—“

He doubled over, acutely aware of his body beginning to shift. Was it different than normal? He searched every nerve, every twinge of pain and questioned it. So far, it seemed to be the usual. Bones became like hot lead and his skin began to prickle. Then, there was something that wasn’t right. His left arm, now changing into something more canine in nature, sent a shock of pain up his arm that resonated within his chest. 

He must have made a sound because Gabe and Professor Morrison were immediately by his side, wands at the ready.

“Gabe, is this how the transformation usually looks?”

“Yes, but something doesn’t seem right. Jesse, can you hear me?”

Jesse managed a nod—his jaw had already shifted into a wolfish maw. The transformation ended, but unlike normal, he continued to feel a deep ache where his left front leg would have been. Gabe stroked Jesse’s head while Jack started to cast spells that seemed to be used for diagnosing magical injuries.

“The seal’s holding, but the transformation’s weakened it. Ana was worried this might happen." 

“Can we give him a sleeping potion or something?”

Jack shook his head, “His transformation will negate the effects. If it didn’t, every werewolf would just sleep off their transformations. He’ll just have to wait it out like he normally does.”

Gabe sat down on the bed beside Jesse and motioned for Jack to grab another blanket. He lowered his wand and complied, going over to a cabinet and bringing one over, draping it over Jesse. Jesse met Jack’s eyes and tried to convey that he was grateful with a slight wag of the tail (it was demeaning to resort to typical canine body language, but he did what he had to do). Jack patted him on the shoulder before he took out his wand again, once more running through different spells.

This continued through the night. Every half hour or so, Jack would check the seal on the curse. Normally Jesse would have fallen asleep, but he remained wide-awake the entire night, restless. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he could at least move around, but Gabe insisted that he at least try to rest. The last thing they wanted to do was having him overexert himself. By the time morning came he was completely exhausted. He didn’t need anything to help him sleep, but Jack insisted he drink a sleeping potion before he went to sleep. As the potion started to take over, he heard the two men talking in hushed voices, their words indistinct and far away.

* * *

 

“Hogsmeade? You mean we’re allowed to go?”

Hanzo nodded, helping Jesse with the buttons at the top of his cloak before they headed out into the brisk winter air. It was a long walk to Hogsmeade according to him and it was important to dress warmly.

“Yes, it’s something that everyone third year and up can do. Since the holidays are coming up everyone will be going today.”

“So it’ll be crowded is what you’re saying?”

“Don’t sound so happy about it. Come on, I think you’ll enjoy it.”

It had been two weeks since his transformation and it seemed like everyone was treating him like something that might break at any moment. He hadn’t noticed any visible changes, and only Gabe and Jack had been there during his less than ideal transformation, but for some reason, everyone either tried to look out for him or took extra time to hang out with him. It wasn’t just Hanzo, Jack, and Gabe. _What, am I wearing a sign or something that says “I have a time limit”?_ Maybe it was just the fact that it was nearing the holidays. In the past, he hadn’t been close to anyone during the “most wonderful time of the year” so he’d never noticed a change in people’s moods.

Jesse wasn’t given much of a choice in the matter as Hanzo sped up, leading the way to the village. It was a little odd to be going to the village that he’d usually only went to for his transformations. Come to think of it, the last time he’d been there then was when him and Hanzo had been attacked. It didn’t exactly make him feel excited. Hanzo, on the other hand, seemed positively delighted with the idea of leaving the castle for a bit. Jesse _had_ been feeling a little cooped up lately.

“Hogsmeade is a fun place to visit when you’re actually in the town itself,” Hanzo explained as they walked, automatically understanding why Jesse was feeling less than enthusiastic about the trip, “It’s an all wizarding village so it’s a bit like Diagon Alley.”   

It didn’t take them too long to get to the village, although by the time they arrived they were both shivering. Before exploring the town, Hanzo and him stopped at the Three Broomsticks Inn, a pub that was exceptionally warm and inviting. It was crowded, but Hanzo managed to find them a table before he went up to the bar to get them two hot butterbeers. Taking a moment to look around, Jesse noticed how almost everyone was dressed in typical wizard fashion. It really was like stepping into a different world. Even Diagon Alley had consisted of people dressed mostly in muggle attire since a lot of visitors had to leave through the muggle side. The Three Broomsticks was decorated for the holidays, sporting garland and red candles as well as a bit of mistletoe under one of the beams near the door. _Oh yeah, Christmas is in a few days isn’t it?_

Hanzo came back after a few minutes with two mugs of foamy butterbeer. He sat down one in front of Jesse before taking a seat.

“Are you going home for the break?” Jesse asked a few moments.

“I considered it, but Genji and I both agreed that we would rather stay here this year. My mother was a little disappointed, but I have work to do and Genji needs to catch up as well.” Hanzo paused. “I also wanted to spend the holidays with my friends.”

Jesse smirked, “I’m glad you stayed. I think I would have been bored out of my mind otherwise.”

“That’s right, Fareeha went home to visit her father and I heard that Lena was going to stay with her girlfriend’s family. Gryffindor common room must be quiet.” 

“Not with your brother and Jamison running the place. Genji’s using the empty common room for Quidditch practice and Jamison’s been working on some new wizard cracker.” Hanzo arched an eyebrow and Jesse explained, “He’s trying to make it have a louder bang. So far he’s broken one window and two armchairs.”

“Impressive. So are you doing anything with Professor Reyes for the holidays?”

Jesse laughed, “What? I doubt it. I mean, I don’t really celebrate the holidays and Gabe doesn’t seem like the sort to either.”

“You mean you don’t know? Professor Reyes is the one who decorates everything. He loves holidays. Why do you think the Great Hall looked so amazing during Halloween?" 

“He hasn’t said anything,” Jesse shrugged, “Like I said though, I don’t do that sort of thing.”

Hanzo hummed a note to himself before taking a drink from his butterbeer. Jesse felt a small hint of doubt though. Should he be preparing for the holidays? The way Hanzo put it made it seem like it was a big deal. With everything going on, he hadn’t even considered that it might be a big deal to the people around him. He glanced around the pub once again and noticed how almost everyone had some sort of holiday accessory on their hat or robe. _Oh…well shit._

“There’s places to buy things for people, right?”

Hanzo smirked, “Is someone getting into the spirit now?”

“I just don’t want to be caught off guard is all,” Jesse said evenly, “And I have some money left over from my allowance.”

Once every three weeks, Jesse was given an allowance by Gabe. At first, he’d thought it was a joke, but after the third time Gabe explained it was a reward for his work. As long as he got good grades, he’d earn an allowance. He was now up to eight galleons and a few sickles, which apparently added up to about $50 USD. If he rationed his money, he had a feeling he could cover gifts for everyone important.

“Well, I guess I have an excuse to take you to all of the shops now.” 

And he did. After they finished their butterbeer they went back out into the cold. Just as he had promised, Hanzo took him to every shop from Dervish and Banges to Zonko’s Joke Shop. By the time they had finished shopping, Jesse’s pockets were considerably lighter and both of them were quite cold and ready to return to Hogwarts.

* * *

 

Christmas morning. Jesse didn’t bother to wake up early. He would have remained curled up in bed until the late morning except the door to the dorm suddenly burst open and Genji came sprinting in, shouting that there were presents. Jesse sat up, his hair standing on end in the back. 

“What?” he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS! Presents! Come on! We’re going to meet Hanzo down in the Great Hall after we open them up. Oh come on get up!”

Genji practically dragged Jesse out of bed, slapping his hat onto his head before pulling him down the stairs to the common room. There was a small tree by the fire, which had two piles of gifts in front of it.

“Mine are the green ones—the red ones are yours.”

“Wait, what?”

Jesse came over and knelt down by the tree next to Genji. Sure enough, there were presents with his name neatly written onto them. Jesse stared at them. He’d only gotten a Christmas present once or twice in his life. Feeling almost disconnected, he picked up one of them, reading the label.

“Professor Reinhardt?”

“He gives everyone in Gryffindor some homemade treats. This year was chocolate chip cookies.”

Jesse unwrapped the present and sure enough, it was a large box of cookies. He grinned, setting them aside before picking up the next one, which was from Professor Amari. Genji leaned over, looking at the label curiously.

“Huh, she doesn’t usually give gifts to anyone other than Fareeha. She must like you.”

Jesse pulled over the present, carefully tugging off the paper. It was a book on dueling techniques. He flipped through it, his eyes widening. There were carefully drawn diagrams and tons of spells he’d never seen before.

There was one final present from Professor Morrison, much to his surprise. He’d given him a holster for his wand. It was made of dark reddish brown leather and would strap onto his belt or thigh just like a normal gun holster.

“You done yet? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone unwrap gifts like you do. You do know you can rip the paper off, right?”

“It was wrapped really nicely though. Seemed a bit rude to just tear it off.”

Genji found this notion ridiculous since half of the fun was ripping off the paper according to him. Jesse excused himself after carefully stacking his presents and carrying them up to the dormitory. He quickly got dressed and grabbed the gifts he intended to give out, now very much grateful that Hanzo had taken him out shopping. Jesse looked down at the presents he’d wrapped the previous evening. They looked like a child had wrapped them, the paper folded awkwardly together and taped haphazardly. In some spots there seemed to be more tape than paper. He grimaced at it, half tempted to try rewrapping them, but Genji called up to him, asking what was taking him so long. Jesse sighed and gathered up the gifts, heading down to meet him.

* * *

 

Hanzo looked down at the wrapped gift sitting on his bed, his arms crossed in contemplation. It had _seemed_ like a good idea to give Jesse a gift at the time. Angela insisted that it would be fine and that Jesse would probably really enjoy the present. Genji had just laughed at him. Traditionally, Christmas wasn’t celebrated in the same way back home as it was here in Europe. For one thing, it was usually seen as a day for couples, not friends, to exchange gifts. He briefly reached up and touched his forehead, remembering the recent night on the astronomy tower. Surely Angela was right and it wouldn’t be a big deal, right? Hanzo picked up the present and put it into his bag, taking a deep breath before leaving the dormitory, heading to the Great Hall.

* * *

 

The Great Hall was decorated like a winter wonderland. Enchanted snow fell from the ceiling and piled onto the tables where it slowly vanished. There were giant wreaths and garland wherever it could go and lights everywhere, twinkling in dozens of colors. There was one table, which was covered in all sorts of sweet and savory dishes. Hanzo was sitting alone at a table, two presents sitting in front of him. Jesse saw the teachers were sitting a few seats down from him, talking and laughing. Gabe was dressed in bright blue and navy robes which seemed to give off a frosty chill, like a wintery spirit. Jesse shook his head and excused himself from Genji, telling him that he’d meet him and Hanzo in a minute before going over to the professors.

“I’d say you’re looking festive, but since your robes are already red I don’t think it counts,” Gabe said as Jesse came over.

“Next year I’ll remember to buy an ugly Christmas sweater. By the way, Professor Morrison.”

Professor Morrison looked up from his mug, “Hmm?”

“Thank you for your gift. I…thank you.” He hoped his smile showed how much he appreciated it. After the last full moon and the Diagon alley visit, their relationship had started to feel less tense. 

Professor Morrison smiled and gave him a nod, “I’m sure you’ll put it to good use once you can come back to dueling club, kid.”

“Wait, what did you get him?” Gabe asked, arching his eyebrow at Professor Morrison.

“Just a little something he’ll find useful.”

“Speaking of useful,” Gabe reached over and pulled up a domed shaped present. It wasn’t wrapped so much as it had a bit of cloth draped over it. “Merry Christmas, Jesse.”

Jesse looked uncertainly at the gift then carefully pulled off the drape to reveal a large, sleeping barn owl. Jesse’s eyes widened and he looked from the owl to Gabe.

“What? It’s a—you got me an owl?” A wide grin broke across his face.

“It’s only proper for a wizard to have an owl, cat, or a toad, and I doubt you wanted a toad and the last time I checked, you’re not much of a cat person.”

He didn’t know what to say. Jesse reached forward and hugged Gabe, almost unable to contain his happiness.

“Woah! Hey, glad you like her, kid. You’ve got to name her you know. Make sure it’s a good one because she’s going to be stuck with it.”

“Of course, I will! Oh, I have something for you too.”

Jesse took one of the presents out of his bag that he’d wrapped and handed it over. It was Gabe’s turn to look surprised. He pointed at the wrapping paper, giving Jesse a ‘really’ look before smirking and ripping off the paper to reveal a pair of cufflinks. 

“They’re enchanted,” Jesse explained hurriedly, “Not just muggle ones—they vibrate slightly whenever there’s someone doing something untrustworthy. I think they said it was like a sneakoscope? If you don’t like it though I can return it I have the receipt still, but the shopkeeper promised me it would work well and that aurors usually really like it and—“

“Jesse, it’s perfect. They’re really nice.” He put a hand on Jesse’s shoulder before putting them on. “Thank you, Jesse. You know you didn’t have to get me anything, right?”

He nodded, “Yeah, but…Hanzo said you like holidays so I wanted to make sure you had a good one.”

Gabe looked over Jesse’s shoulder to where Hanzo was briefly before returning his attention to Jesse, “He did huh? Well, he’s not wrong. I appreciate this, Jesse, I really do. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you something else for Christmas, but I figured you’ve been needing an owl of your own.”

“I love it, Gabe, honest. This is…I can’t even say how happy I am.”

Gabe snatched off Jesse’s hat and ruffled his hair before sticking it back on, “Alright, alright, go on and hang out with your friends. I see you have other gifts to give and I’m going to guess it’s for the Shimada boys.”

Jesse nodded and picked up the owl, giving the professors all one final thanks before going over to Genji and Hanzo. The two eagerly looked at the owl and Genji took her out of the cage, helping Jesse to hold her on his arm.

“I’m good with owls, so don’t worry I can help you out,” Genji explained.

“He is, surprisingly. Genji’s always had a way with birds.”

After they’d settled the owl back into her cage (they were still debating on a name), the trio exchanged gifts. Jesse had gotten Genji a some “treats” from Zonko’s Joke shop while Genji had given him a container of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, which he explained was useful for making quick escapes. Jesse found it fascinating.

Hanzo pulled Jesse aside outside of the Great Hall to give his gift. He held it out to Jesse and the two swapped. Hanzo unwrapped his first, revealing a braided black leather bracelet with a wolf charm on it. Hanzo looked at it with wide eyes. 

“Genji said you liked wolves…okami I think he said?”

“Jesse is this enchanted? Wait, does this have the same spell on it that Professor Reyes’s has?”

He nodded, “I thought you might find it useful.”

Hanzo immediately put it on, “Thank you, Jesse.”

He looked expectantly at Jesse to open his. Hanzo’s gift was carefully wrapped in green paper. Jesse pulled the paper off and opened the box, revealing a braided bracelet that was quite similar to the one he'd given Hanzo. It was green and had a small charm on it with a ‘狼’ stamped into the metal on one side and had other smaller text written on the back that Jesse couldn’t read at all since it seemed to shift and change each time he looked.

“It’ll bring you luck,” Hanzo explained.

Jesse took it carefully out of the box, looking at it with awe. He could feel his cheeks turning red as he tried to contain just how happy he was. With Hanzo's help he pulled the bracelet on, noticing that the clasp was made from tied strings that were easy to latch. 

Genji came out and looked at their bracelets and gave them a wry grin, “Hey, you two match~ Huh, did you mean to buy the same thing?”

They both said “no” before grinning and laughing. Jesse had been very careful when he’d bought Hanzo’s gift to make sure that Hanzo was in a different part of the store and since he had been buying Gabe’s gift at the same time, there was no way that he could have known. Based on Hanzo’s expression, he guessed that Hanzo had done something similar.

“You do like it, right?” Jesse asked hesitantly.

“Of course,” Hanzo said without a pause, “It’s perfect.”

Genji crossed his arms, looking at them, “Man you two are cliché.”

Before Jesse could ask what Genji meant, the platters on the table filled up with food: every sort of traditional Christmas food that any of them could think of. Genji grabbed both of their hands and dragged them back into the Great Hall. Gabe clapped his hands and blue lights began to swim around the Great Hall until they came to rest near the table, illuminating everything in a cool wintery light.

Like Halloween, Christmas was magical in every sense of the word (and Jesse wasn’t ashamed of describing it that way). The night was filled with laughter, singing, and the explosion of Wizard Crackers. By the end of the feast, everyone was full and tired—almost too much so to head up to the dorm, which worked out fine since Gabe made sure everyone was set up with mugs of butterbeer before telling wintery tales, most of which Jesse had never heard before. It was well into the night before they all went up to bed, content. Jesse played with the charm on his bracelet until he fell asleep and when morning came, he noticed that for once, he didn’t have any nightmares.


	22. Moira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse and Gabe meet Moira.

Gabriel looked down at the slip of paper Jesse had given him a few weeks ago. It wasn’t his handwriting. It was choppy, nothing like Jesse’s careful hand. He didn’t have to be good at analyzing handwriting to know who it had come from though: Sombra. The girl always stuck her nose into things. Hell, she’d been the one who’d put him onto the Deadlock in the first place after an offhand comment at dinner.

“I still think you should take Jesse with you,” Jack commented, tapping the note.

Gabriel shook his head, folding the piece of paper back up and stuffing it away into his pocket, “It’s not safe. Deadlock still wants him for whatever reason, although it should be pretty damn obvious at this point that they won’t be able to manipulate him anymore.”

“He’s still an asset and they have potions to deal with unwilling pawns,” Jack stopped, “Ah, not that that’s a reason he shouldn’t go with you. If you want Moira to help, you need to take him. From what I’ve gathered she’s curious to a fault. Seeing him might spark her interest more than a plea.”

“Curious? Is that what you’d call it? She’s a downright nut if you ask me. You saw some of her experiments, didn’t you? The woman doesn’t have any ethics.” 

“She has some. Apparently, she has a soft spot for house elf rights and rabbits.”

Gabriel crossed his arms, “I still think it’s a bad idea.”

“Well do you have a better one? There’s only so long you can keep him from doing something stupid like running off on his own to solve the problem—or need I remind you that that’s why you have that piece of paper there?”

“He can’t protect himself right now though if she tries something.”

“You’ll be with him, won’t you? What are you so worried about, Gabe?”

“I can’t lose him again, Jack.” Gabriel looked up, his eyes narrowing, “We were too lax. I should have known that Talon wasn’t done with him and that if they can’t turn him they’ll kill him.”

“We don’t know what their goals are or if that was their intention with their attack. Remember, that spell wasn’t aimed at Jesse.”

“Ogundimu would have known Jesse would jump in front of it. No, Jack. It was meant for him. A test.” He spat the last word out, fists clenching, “We’re just chasing our tails. Without anything solid on Talon, we can’t even try to counter them.”

“It’s too bad Jesse didn’t know more.”

“They kept him in the dark on purpose. They knew he was clever and didn’t want him to run until they’d finished molding him.”

“It does make you wonder though why they want him back so badly.” 

Gabriel let out a heavy sigh, “If we knew that our jobs would be a whole lot easier. You ask me it just seems like they want to create chaos but usually, chaos has an end goal. Someone or some cause benefits from the chaos sewn.”

* * *

 

Jesse stared across the bed at his owl. Her large, dark eyes followed him every time he moved. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of her yet and the feeling seemed to be mutual. Genji assured him that the owl was quite tame—more so than most according to him, and would be a great first pet. While Jesse loved her, he still felt more than a little unnerved and worried about this new responsibility of his. He’d only handled her in Genji’s presence so far and this was the first time he’d attempted to interact with her alone.

There was no reason to be uneasy around her. Owls were like a wizard’s familiar, right? They were specifically bred to be tame and because of the magic they were raised around, they were more precocious than the average bird. 

“I should probably name you at some point,” Jesse mumbled, to which the owl gave him a doleful look as if she was disappointed that he hadn’t come to that conclusion sooner.

“What? Names are important and I want to be sure I give you a good one. See, I didn’t get to pick my name so I got stuck with ‘Jesse’.”

She was watching him, seeming to latch onto each word he said as if she knew they were for her. That was a good sign, right?

“I don’t know why Gabe didn’t name you. I’m no good at naming things. I’ve never actually had to, you know?” 

Jesse reached out and held out his hand to her as if she were a dog. She stared at him like he was stupid. He retracted his hand.

“Right. So. How do we want to go about this? Should I just throw out some names and if you seem remotely happy about any of them I’ll go with that one?” 

He was talking to an owl and either he was going crazy or the owl actually seemed to be listening. Whether she understood or not was a different matter entirely…but she was a magic owl, right? How else did owls know where to go with letters? _Maybe the magic only works for directions…_

“It should sound magical…”

He went over to his trunk and rifled around in it until he pulled out a book the magical heritage of Central and South America. It was one of the first books that Gabriel had given him back when he’d uprooted Jesse from the Deadlock gang. He started to flip through the pages, pausing every so often to ask a name, looking quizzically at the owl each time he said one. When none of those fit he started to spout names that he remembered people naming their pets.

“I knew this one kid who named our class hamster Teuzauhtototl? Too long…how about Teuza?”

The owl blinked slowly before hopping over to him. Jesse reached his hand out again and very tentatively stroked her back. She didn’t nip him, which he supposed was a good sign.

“Teuza it is then.”

The owl—Teuza, inched closer before hopping onto his lap. Jesse smiled. She was friendly. Genji had hinted as much, saying that she was even gentler than most of the tamed owls he’d dealt with in the past.

Jesse looked up when he heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs to the dormitory. _Gabe_. He carefully moved Teuza so she was on his shoulder, wincing a bit as her sharp claws bit into his skin as they tried to find purchase. He stood up and was almost to the entrance of the dormitory when Gabriel appeared. He looked from Teuza to Jesse, smirking.

“She likes you.” 

“I hope so? I’ve never had a pet…familiar? Companion?”

“Pet,” Gabe said, “Did you finally give her a name?”

“Teuza. I tried some others but they didn’t really suit her.”

Gabe arched an eyebrow as if trying to figure out what the name meant, but he rolled with it and said, “I think it’s a good name. You’ll need to send her up to the owlery though. We’re going to meet Moira.”

“What? We are? Now?” 

“Yes now. We’ve waited long enough and if we’re not careful Sombra’s information won’t be good any longer. I should have acted on it sooner but I wanted to make sure we weren’t walking into a trap.”

“Do I need to bring anything?” Jesse asked as Gabe helped move Teuza from his shoulder, carrying her over to the window so she could fly off to the owlery.

“Just your wand and heavy cloak. We’re going to Dublin.”

“Shouldn’t I wear a jacket then?” 

Gabe paused, “Do you even own a winter jacket?”

Jesse went to his trunk and fished out a worn jean jacket adorned with numerous patches, “Does this count?”

“Well, at the very least you’ll blend in,” Gabe sighed, “I think I have a leather jacket you can wear with that so you don’t freeze. Come on, let’s get going.”

Jesse slid on his boots, using a quick spell to tie the laces in lieu of being able to tie them himself. He then hurried after Gabe, who lightly slapped Jesse’s hat onto his head before they went downstairs. They made a brief stop in Gabe’s office to grab his jacket (which was too big for Jesse but it was certainly warmer than his jean jacket) before heading out of the castle and across the grounds. Gabe then hooked his arm around Jesse’s and they apparated…

 

…appearing a moment later in a cobblestone alleyway. Jesse stumbled, making a face.

“Ugh, I hate that feeling.” 

“Takes a while to get used to, I’ll give you that. You feeling ok?” 

Jesse gave him a look, “Fine, as per usual.”

He was getting tired of the question. Almost every time he was around Gabe the question inevitably came up. Gabe looked away and led the way down the alleyway to the street beyond.

This part of the city was “classic” if Jesse had to put a word to it. The buildings maintained themselves at a solid four stories, some barely reaching up to a tentative five if they were ambitious. Most of the buildings were made of brightly painted brick and had a shop at the bottom with what looked like living spaces above. This particular street faced out to a river. The street wasn’t overly busy and while there were people out, it seemed like a quiet day.

“I never really saw places like this back home.”

“There are a lot of towns that look sort of like this on the East Coast back in the States,” Gabe said, heading down the street, “Maybe sometime this summer we can go visit some of them.” 

“This summer? What do you mean? Won’t I just be staying at Hogwarts during the break?” 

“That’s…complicated. Normally kids have to go back home to their parent or guardian.” 

Jesse paused. “You’re my guardian, right?” 

“Technically you were just released into my custody—not as a guardian but well, things have changed a bit haven’t they?" 

Jesse smirked, “Well I’m not trying to punch you anymore if that’s what you mean.”

Gabe chuckled, “Thankfully although I do miss seeing your expression when you figured out you couldn’t punch me. Back to the point though, we have to figure out what you’ll be doing over the summer. It’s not just about what we want. We have to follow what the Ministry wants since you were released into my custody on certain conditions.”

Jesse made a face. He hadn’t forgotten about the Ministry of Magic of Magic or the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Both of them had been trouble.

“They won’t stick me with a foster family, will they?”

“I’m not sure but if I can get my way they’ll let you stay with me.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to go live with some family I don’t know. It’s not like they’d keep me anyway.”

He didn’t like talking about his past foster families and he was sure the look he gave Gabe quelled any questions that were forming. He knew Gabe had some knowledge of the past families, but written government accounts were sterile: they didn’t contain any important details.

“I’m working on it, Jesse. Don’t worry.”

Gabe stopped in front of a used bookstore then went around the back to what Jesse realized must have been the entrance to the apartments overhead. Gabe dialed apartment ‘26’ and waited. There was a long pause where there was no response, and then a woman’s voice rang out over the speaker. It had a bite to it as if the woman wanted to be done with the conversation before it began but was forced to maintain a chilly politeness. 

“Hello there. May I ask why you’re bothering me? I’m working.” 

“My name is Gabriel Reyes and this is Jesse McCree. I understand you’re a healer who specializes in experimental magic?”

“What do you want?”

Jesse didn’t like her tone. His fingers itched to grab his wand and to leave this place.

“The kid ran into a nasty bit of experimental magic—a curse. I was told you might be able to help us figure out what we’re looking at and maybe even fix it. You’ll be compensated for your work.”

 “I’m not interested.”

“It was done by Akande Ogundimu—“

“I’m a werewolf,” Jesse broke in, “And you like dealing with challenges, right? Well here’s a challenge. Two curses. I know you can’t change one but what about the other?” 

A long silence. Then, “Lig dom cabhrú leat. I’ll let you in. This better be worth my time.”

The door unlocked and Gabe led the way inside. On the way up the stairs, Gabe glared at Jesse, anger in his eyes. 

“What were you thinking just bluntly saying that you’re a werewolf?”

“We had to put all cards on the table. Sombra hinted as much to me the other day.”

“And did Sombra say how this would all turn out?”

Jesse shook his head, “No, but she did say that I’m an investment so it wouldn’t help her if something happened to me." 

“That’s not an answer.” Gabe sighed. “Stay close to me. If something happens, run. Do you understand?”

Jesse nodded, “Yeah but what’s so bad about Moira?”

He didn’t mention the feeling he got when he heard her speak earlier.

“Moira did some less than ethical work while she was working at the hospital. Let’s just say her experiments ended with a few bodies and a lot of people dealing with strange side effects.”

“Then why isn’t she in Azkaban? They wanted to stick me in there pretty badly.”

“Because she covered herself. All of the victims signed waivers and she did submit paperwork regarding her intentions for the most part before she began experimenting.” 

“But they _died_.”

“You can get out of just about anything with the right support.”

Gabe made a face. They came to a stop on the second floor at room 26. He knocked and stepped back, careful to put himself between the door and Jesse. A few moments after knocking, the door opened, revealing a tall, spindly woman with keen mismatch eyes. She had vibrant copper hair and an almost disapproving frown on her face.

“Well? Are you just going to stand there?” She stepped aside, waving them in.

Her flat smelled of chemical reactions. It was phosphoric and acrid. Jesse resisted the urge to cover his nose, keenly aware of her gaze on him. 

“So…cursed by Akande Ogundimu and a werewolf? Now that is interesting.” She turned her attention to Gabe, “You’re his guardian? Tell me everything.

Gabe told Moria the situation over a pot of tea that no one drank. She traced her long nails over the table while he spoke as if taking notes. By the time he’d finished, her eyes were once again locked onto Jesse.

“Let me see the cursed wound.”

Jesse reluctantly pulled off his jackets and partially pulled up his shirt. The spidery purple veins laced up his arm well past his shoulder now, heading towards his collarbone and chest. Gabe swore.

“When did it start to spread like that Jesse? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Jesse shrugged, “It was tolerable and you have enough to deal with. Me saying something isn’t going to change it.” 

“Tá ag teipeadh do neart…” Moira mumbled. She stood up and traced her finger along his arm, from the scar up to his shoulder.

“Well? Can you help him?”

Moira looked up, “Of course I can. You’re in luck: I’m familiar with this curse." 

She straightened, giving them a look that suggested that it was in their best interest not to ask why she was familiar with the curse if they wanted her help.

“It will take a week.”

“To remove the curse?” Gabe interrupted.

“And to build him a new arm. You did want some assistance with that too I imagine? Not too many enchanters want to work with werewolves. They don’t appreciate a good challenge.” She regarded Jesse for a moment, reading his expression, “Don’t assume my feelings based on my calling you what you are. I have no ill perceptions about werewolves.”

“They make you ‘curious’ I imagine?” Jesse asked.

She actually smirked, “Yes. I did attempt to study lycanthropy.”

“Is that what you call it? Some of your patients didn’t end up too well after your attempts to cure them.” 

“Well luckily for you that’s not what I’m going to be trying today, although I will always put that offer out on the table …if you’re interested of course. For now, though, let’s start with breaking this curse. I have to warn you, I won’t be able to finish it in one session. Your body won’t be able to handle it.”

Jesse looked to Gabe. He waited for some sign or signal that it would be ok. Gabe gave him a slow nod and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s get started then.”

* * *

 

After almost three hours he was exhausted. Gabe supported Jesse as they headed towards the door. He had trouble finding his own feet and he knew that without Gabe’s help he would likely be unable to stand on his own. He’d been unconscious back when Professor Amari had tried to break the curse. He’d been so blissfully unaware of the process. He gave a shudder. _At least I was unconscious again for most of it_. Moira had made good on her promise, despite the painful process. The curse had receded, for the most part, the only evidence of it now running along the scar tissue.

“It won’t spread anymore,” Moira said, holding open the door, “I’ve broken the roots. It’s just a matter of destroying the rest of the manifestation. By the time your prosthetic is ready, you’ll be recovered enough to remove the rest of the curse. I can contact your professor Torbjörn Lindholm regarding the prosthetic? I understand he’s quite the enchanter himself?”

Gabe nodded, “He’ll be in touch with you. He had something in the works for Jesse but he’s not used to dealing with the challenges Jesse’s case presented.”

“Of course.” She regarded them both for a moment and Jesse could practically see the gears moving behind her eyes. “I’ll see you soon then.”

She shut the door once they were out in the hallway. Gabe adjusted his hold on Jesse before electing to simply pick him up. Jesse only protested a bit.

“Dios you’re getting big,” Gabe grumbled.

Jesse smirked at him, “Well, that went well.”

“Did it? You look like you were chewed up and spat out a few times.”

“I’m tired but…I feel like a weight was lifted.” Jesse took a deep breath, “I didn’t realize how much it was draining me. It’s like I can breathe again.”

“I’m glad. Soon we can put this whole thing behind us and you can focus on school again. Go back to dueling club, try out for Quidditch next year…whatever you want.” 

Gabe pushed open the door to outside with his shoulder. He’d barely stepped out when suddenly there was a flash of red light. Gabe twisted, intercepting the spell with his back, protecting Jesse. He stumbled forward, mumbling “stunner”, but before he could recover another stunner smacked into him. He remained at a crouch, his body shaking. He looked down at Jesse, who was struggling to try to get his wand out.

“Jesse. Run.”

Jesse looked over Gabe’s shoulder. He could see three wizards coming towards them. He recognized two of them. Akande Ogundimu and Maximilien. He snarled, pushing against Gabe to try to break free, prepared to defend him with everything he had.

“No, Jesse! Go! Use the charm Hanzo gave you!”

Gabe pulled the omamori Hanzo had given him the night they’d returned to Hogwarts from Jesse’s pocket. Jesse didn’t question how Gabe had known it was there. His eyes met Gabe’s. He shook his head in horror.

“No! I’m not leaving you! They’re here for me! You come with me—“

“JESSE! Please! It won’t work for both of us,” Gabe shoved the charm into his hand, “Go!”

When Jesse refused, shaking his head again, Gabe hugged him tight and said the words to activate the omamori. The next thing Jesse knew, he was thrown into darkness. 

When he opened his eyes, he found a crowd of people dressed in wizard clothes and poorly chosen muggle attire surrounding him. Disoriented, panicking, he sat up and drew his wand, shouting,

“Stay back! What have you done with Gabe?”

“Please calm down,” a witch said in as soothing a tone as possible, “You just appeared in the middle of the street. We couldn’t wake you up.”

Something about it struck a chord and Jesse lowered his wand a bit, looking around. He recognized where he was.

“Diagon Alley?”

She nodded, her large green earrings clinking slightly, “Yes. Are you alright?” 

He nodded but then shook his head, taking in a shuddering breath, “They took Gabe. They took Gabe and he made me leave.”

The woman reached forward and gently pushed his wand down before embracing him, “There, there. It will be alright. You must be a Hogwarts student, right? My little sister goes there. Come on, let's go get warm in the Leaky Cauldron while we wait for one of your professors to come pick you up.”

She helped Jesse to his feet, her strong arms helping to brace him. She shooed everyone else away, saying that she had the situation under control now. 

“What’s your name?” Jesse asked.

“I am Orisa.” She smiled, briefly stooping down to pick up his fallen hat before she started leading them towards the Leaky Cauldron, “What’s your name?”

“Jesse. My name is Jesse.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Jesse.” 

Orisa brought him to the Leaky Cauldron as promised. Jesse didn’t speak much, but Orisa filled the silence, talking about her little sister Efi. She brought him hot tea with honey, encouraging him to drink, but he couldn’t bring himself to. At some point, Jack and Professor Amari arrived. While Professor Amari spoke with Orisa, Jack came over to Jesse, kneeling down so he could look Jesse in the eye. 

“Where is Gabe? What happened?”

He couldn’t answer. He just shook his head, looking down with shame, shoulders quaking.

“Jesse, what happened? Jesse answer me damn it!”

“Jack! Control yourself.” Professor Amari came over, “He’s been through an ordeal.”

“Ana, there’s only so much time—“

“We’ll get to the bottom of this in time. For now, let’s get him back to Hogwarts and then we can talk. Jesse, will you come with us?” 

She was asking. She wanted him to have a choice. Jesse looked up before standing slowly. Professor Amari’s strong hands steadied him.

“I promise, both of you,” she looked to Jack as well, “We’ll sort this out. Just trust me.”

She stopped to thank Orisa, noting that she would tell Efi hello, before heading over to the grate towards the back of the Leaky Cauldron to take the floo network home. Jesse followed without really thinking, his mind elsewhere. He remembered hearing Professor Amari say something about ‘shock’ and ‘being patient with him’. The words hardly registered. Even after he went through the fire and arrived in Professor Amari’s office, he hardly felt aware of his surroundings. He was led over to yet another chair, given yet another cup of tea, and asked what happened.

It took some coaxing, but soon the words found him and he told them everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Few things:  
> 1\. Thanks to all of the amazing people who continue to comment on my work. You guys are wonderful <3  
> 2\. I have finished completely plotting out this fic as well as the follow-up fic (gasp! there's going to be a sequel!). This one has about 11 chapters left!  
> 3\. The teuzauhtototl is also known as the 'omen owl'.  
> 4\. Some of Moira's voice lines have been sprinkled into this chapter. I play a lot of Moira so I got a bit carried away xD  
> 5\. Continuity wise: the reason that Gabe couldn't apparate away was because he'd been hit by the stunners. The reason why he couldn't join Jesse with the omamori will be explained next chapter.


	23. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse runs into some old friends of his...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait y'all. Writing my thesis really drained me of inspiration for a bit, but it seems like my writer's block is finally ending. Thank you for being patient!

It had been the first time he’d seen Maximilien in eight months. He’d imagined over and over in his mind what he’d do if—when he ran into him again. He hadn’t done any of the things he’d imagined. He’d done worse than that. He’d left Gabe behind at the mercy of Talon.

Jesse stared down at his hand, keenly aware of the blanket draped over his shoulders. He hadn’t moved from his bed since Professor Amari had left him at Gryffindor tower. Hanzo had sent a message and Genji had tried to talk to him, but Jesse had dawn the curtains around his bed shut. Jesse rested his head on his knee, squeezing his eyes tight. What had he done? _Nothing_ , a nasty voice in his head reminded him. He’d done absolutely nothing. Jesse grit his teeth. Just how many times was he going to let other people save him? He hadn’t forgotten the look on Professor Morrison’s face when he’d asked that question after Jesse told him what had happened. Professor Amari had scolded Professor Morrison, but he was right, wasn’t he?

Jesse shoved the blanket off of his back and pushed back the curtains. Most of the other students were asleep now, tucked away in their beds. He moved through the dorm the same way he’d moved through the old diner—silent as a shadow. He tossed his cloak, a spare set of clothes, some snacks he’d been saving in his trunk, and the most recent book of spells he’d been studying into a bag. He then got dressed, pulling on Gabe’s jacket once again before stuffing his wand into his pocket and heading out of the dorm, his boots in hand. He’d put those on once he was out of the castle and on the grounds.

It was surprisingly easy to slip out of the castle. The halls were silent. Even the ghosts seemed to be elsewhere. Maybe everyone was meeting to try to decide what to do now that Gabe was gone. Jesse was done waiting for solutions though. He was going to find one himself. 

Outside he slid his boots on and started towards the whomping willow. It seemed to be the only place that he could escape the grounds without alerting the professors by accidentally setting off some alarm. The gates were no doubt locked and he didn’t think he could brave the forbidden forest in his current state. He’d heard the stories about what was in the forest after all from Genji (who’d gone in on a dare) and Angela (who warned him not to go in on a dare like Genji). While he wasn’t concerned about ‘werewolves’ (that just seemed made up) there were other creatures within the forest including centaurs that he wasn’t entirely keen on meeting. Besides, without a compass, he wouldn’t know left from right within the dense woods. The only time he’d spent in the woods that he could think of was the time with Hanzo after their misadventure. No, going through the shrieking shack to Hogsmeade was the smartest route. He could use the floo network to go…somewhere. He hadn’t thought through his plan that far.

Jesse stopped before the whomping willow, staring up at its barren winter limbs. What was he doing?

“I thought I’d find you out here.”

Jesse didn’t bother to turn. “Hanzo.” 

He saw Hanzo out of the corner of his eye come to stand next to him, arms crossed. He watched the tree too, as if considering the same plans that Jesse entertained.

“You sure you want to do this? You’re on probation or something, aren’t you?”

“I was released into the custody of Gabe. Without him here, I don’t know what that’ll mean for me in the long run.”

“They’ll probably put you under Professor Amari’s care.” Hanzo paused. “You could wait you know. See what they find out before doing something reckless. You could talk to Sombra too to see if she knows anything.”

Jesse shook his head, “Talking to Sombra got me into this mess and the Professors have been chasing their tails with Talon’s movements for months. No, this is something I have to do, Hanzo.”

“Why’s that?”

Jesse glanced over at him. He didn’t seem to be judging him. If anything, he seemed to be trying to follow Jesse’s train of thought. His lips were pressed together, his brow ever so slightly furrowed. 

“Because I bet I can find my some of my old gang—the ones who escaped Azkaban. I overheard Professor Morrison talking about trying to go to this place called Knockturn alley, but he couldn’t get any information because folks knew who he was.”

Hanzo hummed a note, “But if they know who you are…it’ll work in your favor potentially.”

“Exactly. I can’t know that any old deadlock members are there, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get some information.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

 _Yes,_ he thought, _I don’t want to do this alone and you’ve saved my hide already._

Instead, he said, “No. I’ve got this handled. Besides, if you leave your dad’ll pull you and Genji from Hogwarts, right? And people in Knockturn alley might know who your family is.” 

Hanzo sighed, “I want to go with you…but you’re right. It wouldn’t be good for my family for me to be seen there.”

Jesse rested his hand on Hanzo’s shoulder and the other boy returned the gesture. 

“I’m sorry…but I used your omamori when it all…” 

“I figured. Don’t be sorry though, Jesse. I’m glad you got away safely. I know that Professor Reyes is in danger now, but if you hadn’t gotten away, you would have both been captured or worse and there wouldn’t have been any chance of rescuing him.”

“I shouldn’t have run—“

“You listened to Professor Reyes, right? You made a choice and it was a good one.”

Jesse shook his head, “He didn’t give me one. He activated the spell before I could stop him.”

“You didn’t pull away from him before he activated it though. I think that means that you knew deep down that it was the right choice, even if it was a hard one. You’re going to save him, Jesse. I know you will.”

Jesse rested his forehead on Hanzo’s. “I’ll see you soon.”

He pulled away and took a deep breath. Hanzo froze the whomping willow and after giving him one final wave, Jesse ducked down into the passage to the shrieking shack.

 

* * *

 

It was daybreak by the time Jesse managed to get to Diagon alley London. He’d snuck into one of the pubs in Hogsmeade and “borrowed” some floo powder. From there, he’d made himself scarce, knowing full well that after the scene he’d made the previous day locals would no doubt recognize him. Jesse rubbed his eyes as he tried to find an offshoot of the alley that he could rest in, if just for an hour or two. He’d been awake since the previous day and Moira’s treatment had left him even more exhausted than an all-nighter normally would. If he was going to go into the den, he needed to get some rest.

He ended up finding a small alley a few buildings down from _The White Wyvern_ , which seemed to be a pub of some sort. Jesse curled up against the side of the building, drawing his jacket close around him and resting his head on his knees. Just an hour’s rest was all he needed.

 

When Jesse woke, the sun was well in the sky. _Nearly noon_ , he guessed. He could have slept for longer, if not for the sense of unease that crept into his stomach. He yawned and stretched before taking out his wand to cast a quick spell to get rid of any bad breath from sleeping. He had to make a good first impression after all. He got wearily to his feet and ran his hand through his hair. There was no point in stalling any longer.

The White Wyvern pub was beside a tattoo parlor of some sort and a pawnshop. It seemed out of place with its intricately designed sign and old-fashioned front, but he supposed it was like any other rough bar. He made his way inside, scanning the few patrons that were already drinking, no doubt brokering deals while they did so. The barkeep gave him an odd look, but a slow glance got him the look of approval that meant it was ok to enter. He went up to the bar, sat down a sickle, and asked for whatever was on tap. The barkeep went and got him a mug of pale beer without question. _That’s true,_ Jesse thought as he took a sip (it wasn’t his favorite drink in the world), _Wizards don’t have ID cards or anything. How do they check if someone’s old enough to drink?_

He sipped on the drink while he took stock of the bar, keenly aware of the fog that started to trickle into his mind from the beer. It was stronger than he was used to. Surprisingly, while they’d encouraged him to join them with drinking, the boys back with the deadlock gang had been adamant about him only drinking things with lower alcohol content (excluding whiskey—that was a sacred drink to them). Sitting with the mug in hand, he couldn’t help but think about his old gang. For all the bad, there had been some good times. They’d been his family for a few years after all. He didn’t talk about the parts he missed with Gabe or even Hanzo. Somehow it felt wrong, like something he should be ashamed of. How could he erase those years of his life though? He thought of the times they’d spent out in the yard teaching him to shoot, or the jokes they’d play, or hell, the birthday cakes they’d spend hours baking for him because none of them were good at baking, but they wanted him to have a birthday anyway. _They’d be trying to figure out what to get me right about now. Birthday’s just a few months off_ , he realized with a bit of homesickness that he immediately shoved down.

“No way…Jess is that you?”

He forced himself not to stiffen as he turned around. Behind him one of the tables had been taken up by a trio. He recognized two of them as old deadlock members: Mason and Will. The third man was large and sporting what might have been a mask of some sort beneath the hood of his cloak (it was hard to see through the dim of the pub).

“Long time no see,” Jesse drawled, letting his old accent shine through.

He’d actively been fighting it since coming to Hogwarts, but after hearing it on the tongues of his once companions it was impossible to hold back. 

“How the hell did you end up here, kid? I thought those bastards with the aurors took ya?”

“They did,” Jesse said, forcing a wry grin on his face, “But I got away.”

Mason let out a whistle, “You always were a slippery fella. I heard that you’d gotten on the bad side of ‘em higher up folks, but if you’re hangin’ out here then that’s gotta be a lie.”

“Higher ups? You mean Ogundimu?” he shrugged, “I had a bad run in with him, but that’s water under the bridge.” 

“You lived after getting’ on his bad side? Shit, Jess. How’d you manage that?”

“Now I can’t be tellin’ y’all all my secrets.” He turned around in his chair so he could face them all directly, “Who’s your new friend here by the way?”

“Him? Oh that’s Mako. He doesn’t talk much. He’s been looking to get his hands on something though so we’re workin’ together for a bit.”

Mako made a grumbling sort of noise and left the other two to go get a drink. Mason and Will were still staring at Jesse as if they couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing. He didn’t blame them. Last time they’d seen each other their home had been under siege. He’d honestly thought that they’d died. Gabe had refused to give Jesse the list of casualties after he’d been taken in, no doubt to help him ‘move on’. Seeing them alive though brought more closure than the blank list that Gabe had left him.

“How’d you two get out? I heard most of the gang got sent to Azkaban.”

“We got lucky…oh yeah, you know about all of this now, don’tcha?”

“We were going to tell you,” Will added, “Eventually. Boss wanted to let you find it yourself though. Said something about being more powerful that way.”

“He mentioned something about wanting you to become an obscurus or something. Never really got much information about that. You know how he was.” 

Jesse nodded, storing the information away. He’d been wondering ever since coming to Hogwarts why they would keep his magic a secret for him when it was such a powerful tool. Whatever this ‘obscurus’ was must have been worth more than a trained wizard. 

“The boss always had a lot of ideas,” Jesse said evenly, “I’m sure he had a good reason for keepin’ the information from me. I tell you what though. I do wish I’da known sooner about magic. Sure makes things more in’erestin’.”

Mason grinned, “That it does. Whatcha like most about it, kid? The power, right? Knowing you can take whatcha want when you want it?”

 “Nah. I could do that with my ol’ gun any time. I like the options it gives me.” He paused, eyes narrowing, “Been learnin’ a lot about some of the fancier stuff you can do with magic. This woman Moira was doin’ some real in’erestin’ stuff with her power.” 

“You know that witch?” Will sneered, “Nasty bit of work that one. Good at her job, patches ya up without too much trouble, but don’t let her turn you into one of her experiments.”

“Not that the boss would let her do anything to you. You always were his favorite. He only sends the ones who piss him off to her now.”

 _So she’s been working with Deadlock…or Talon? Maybe both._ Jesse took a sip of his drink, letting himself lean back against the bar almost languidly, despite the nerves that continued to hum through his system, warning him of the danger all around.

“Heard she’s got someone new now to work with so we ain’t got nothing to worry about for a bit.”

His stomach dropped. “Work with? Like a partner?”

“Subject,” Will said with a shiver, “She’s been hankerin’ to try out something new for a while but the boss said she’d have to wait before she could try it. Now that he’s given her this fella though I bet that mean’s she’s back to work.”

“I don’t normally pity folks, but I feel bad for whatever sod she’s got to work on.” 

He forced the words out, “Better them than you lot.”

“’Lot’. Hah! You’ve been hangin’ around here too long, Jess. Listen, I’m glad we ran into you. After we finish up with that meeting in Venice—I know, Mason, I can’t believe we’re goin’ there either—after that, we’re gonna start setting up back at—“

He was cut off when a red light smacked into his chest. Will collapsed, dropping his mug. Before Mason could react, a stunner spell hit him as well. Jesse barely had time to get up before someone was grabbing the front of his shirt and slamming him down into the bar, the back of his head smacking into the wood. It was a moment before his head stopped spinning and he was able to register who was holding him down, shouting at him. 

“The hell do you think you’re doing here, McCree? Really? He’s gone for less than a day and you’re already crawling back like the dog you are to your old masters?”

Jesse grabbed Professor Morrison’s robe pulling him closer, “The _hell_ kind of person you think _I_ am, Morrison? I was getting information and now you’ve gone and done fucked it up.”

Professor Morrison stared at him before letting go of his jacket. Jesse let go of his robe as well and straightened, glaring at the professor. 

“I—apologize. I was listening in and I assumed.”

“Whatever. I got what I needed from them. See you around.” 

He picked up his bag and turned to leave. Professor Morrison grabbed his shoulder, spinning him back around.

“Now wait just a minute. I’m not letting you go run off on your own. I’m taking you right back to Hogwarts and you’re going to wait there while I sort this out.”

 “No.”

Professor Morrison looked taken aback before he glared down at Jesse once again, snapping, “No? What do—“

“Shut up for one fucking second, Jack and think. You said it yourself: how long am I going to let others take care of me? Well here’s me doing what has to be done. Make up your damn mind about what you want me to do. Do you want me to sit back and just share information all of the time, or will you let me do what I’m good at and help? I want to find him, Jack! He’s my guardian and this is my fault so let me do this!”

His throat felt tight and he had to look away for a moment to wipe angry tears from his eyes. For a while, Professor Morrison was silent. His hand slid from Jesse’s shoulder.

“I—…you’re right. One minute I’m telling you to stay out of it, the next, well, I’m telling you to go do something stupid it seems.”

“It’s not stupid. It’s what has to be done.” 

“No, it is stupid when a grown man is telling a kid to risk his life just because he’s grieving too.” Professor Morrison put his hands on his hips. “Ana’s going to kill me, but…this is your choice. I won’t think less of you no matter which choice you make. I can take you back to Hogwarts and use the information you gathered here, or we can work together to go find Gabe.” 

He didn’t hesitate. “I want to find Gabe.”

Professor Morrison’s face seemed heavier as he sighed, nodding, “Alright. Then we should get out of here because knowing Ana’s she’s probably already guessed that something like this might happen.”

Jesse glanced over Professor Morrison’s shoulder to Will and Mason, who were both still passed out on the floor. The barkeep was giving both of them a somewhat annoyed look, but didn’t seem too keen on antagonizing Morrison at the moment.

“Should we do something about them or--?”

“Nah, leave them be. They’ll wake up in a half hour or so.” He started to lead the way out, “Venice, was it? We’re going to have to hop across a few fireplaces. We’ll take a break along the way for you to get some rest.”

“I’m fine,” Jesse grumbled as they headed out of the pub. 

“If you were fine you would have noticed me coming into the pub. If you’re going to join me with finding Gabe then you’re going to have to follow my orders. Are we clear?”

There was something different about his tone that caught Jesse’s attention. It was familiar in a way. He wasn’t talking down to him. To the contrary, he was talking to him like a subordinate equal. _Like the gang used to talk to me before I climbed the ranks._

“Yes, sir.”

Professor Morrison chuckled, leading the way down knockturn alley. “Good. We'll make a plan once we get there.”


	24. Unexpected Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Jesse come up with a plan to infiltrate a gathering Talon's holding. They receive some unexpected assistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! The update took too long! And the chapter still isn't technically complete based on my outline, but it was getting way too long. I apologize for any typos (I'm sure there's quite a few). It's been a hell of a few weeks xD
> 
> Update: Fixed every misspelling of 'masquerade'. I am a failure.
> 
> Update 2: This fic now has a prologue. So...yeah. If you haven't read it, it doesn't change much other than adding some context at the start of the fic.

He hadn’t meant to sleep for nearly a day, but by the time he woke up, it was almost dinner of the next day. After the events of the past few days it was understandable that he was tired; he knew this. He’d barely rested after Gabe’s disappearance, despite the fact that he was still recovering from Moira’s treatment. Still, as he lay with his eyes shut, he felt shame rolling in his stomach. He shouldn’t be sleeping. He should be up, trying to help Jack come up with a plan. It was that notion more than feeling rested that forced him into motion.

Jesse blinked the sleep from his eyes, sitting up slowly to take in his surroundings. He was in a hotel room, which was probably one of the nicer accommodations he’d been in his life. Jack had insisted that he rest after they’d jumped through about five fireplaces during their journey to Italy. He’d protested at first, but after he’d sat down on the bed it had been near impossible to keep the sleep from his eyes. All it had taken was Jack’s reminder of Jesse’s assurance that he’d follow orders and then he was out. Besides, As Jack had put it earlier, at the moment, they had no idea how they were going to infiltrate Talon’s operation, or frankly what that operation was. All they knew from the info that Jesse had gathered from his old gang members was that they needed to be _somewhere_ in Venice, which wasn’t a lot to go on. In short: it was better to rest while they could.

“How are you feeling?”

Jesse looked over. Jack was sitting on the other bed, papers spread out in a fan around him. There were a few takeout containers beside him as well as a couple of empty beer bottles.

“You didn’t sleep.”

“I’ve been trying to figure out our next move. I was able to get in contact with a few people, but no one’s heard about whatever is happening in Venice.”

Jesse rubbed his eyes, “I’m not surprised. Boss was tightlipped even with his inner circle.”

“You sound disappointed.”

He shrugged, “Not really. Just…thinking. Sir, do you know what an obscurus is?”

Jack stiffened, “How’d you hear that word?”

“The guys said it—they said that’s what the boss wanted me to become or something. That’s why he didn’t tell me I was a wizard.”

There was a long silence. Jack set down the paper he was looking at and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Jesse frowned. This wasn’t the reaction he’d expected. He almost wished now that he’d kept the observation to himself.

“There’s not much known about the phenomenon, but…an obscurus is essentially the manifestation of magical energy that’s been bottled up inside of a young witch or wizard, usually one who’s unaware of their abilities or has hidden them away to protect themselves.”

“What’s it do? The energy?”

“At its worst, it’s a destructive force that destroys its creator.”

“And at its best?”

“We don’t know.” Jack shook his head. “My guess is that if the Deadlock gang felt confident enough to try to turn you into one, they must have a way to harness the energy without endangering the host. Based on what you’ve told me, Maximilien went through a lot of trouble to mold you. He wouldn’t waste a resource.”

Jesse looked down, “Can I still become one? If I get captured by them, can they still…?”

“No, not anymore, at least, I don’t think so. You’re aware of your abilities and you’ve exceeded all expectations when it comes to harnessing and controlling your magic. It would be very difficult at this point to create something like an obscurus out of your power.”

His shoulders sagged in relief. The last thing he wanted was to be turned against his friends and companions at this point.

“Is that why you were worried that they would want to take me back when I first came to Hogwarts?”

“No. I assumed they wanted you back simply because you were already a good soldier for them. Toss in a wand and you’re frankly terrifying.” He turned to Jesse, meeting his eyes, “I’m not concerned about that anymore, at least, not in the same way.”

He knew what Jack was insinuating, “If they can’t get me back on their side, they’ll kill me. I’m a loose end at this point.”

“Exactly. It won’t come to that though.” Jack started to pick up his papers.

“Giving up already?”

“There’s nothing more I can do for today. At this point, we just have to wait. There’s one person I’m counting on, but we’ll see. It’s a sticky situation for them. If they get involved, it could cause them some trouble in the long run.”

Jesse thought for a moment, debating whether he wanted to divulge what he knew. He took a breath.

“You mean the Shimadas?”

Jack stared at him, “How—?”

“Hanzo’s told me a bit about their family. Not too much, but enough that I’ve got a pretty good understanding of what he’s dealing with. Criminal empire sort of thing, right?”

“Right. They mostly deal in illegal enchantment and the selling of black market goods. There are rumors that they also work in assassination and espionage, but I don’t know for certain. If they do though, they might be able to help us find Gabe.”

“Let me try talking to Hanzo then. He’s trying to distance himself from all of that, but maybe he can talk to his dad.”

“It would be better if the Hanzo isn’t involved. This is dangerous, Jesse. While you can grasp just how dangerous, I’m not sure that Hanzo will.”

“He grew up the same as me though—“

“He didn’t, Jesse.” Jack sighed, getting slowly to his feet, “You were raised to be an attack dog—a pawn. You climbed the ranks and became part of the inner circle, yes, but in the end, you were still just a servant to the Deadlock Gang. Hanzo is the son of the family’s boss. It’s a very different situation.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“Hanzo was raised to be a leader. He wouldn’t have had the same challenges, the same appreciation for danger that you’ve developed and even if he had, I think that it would be clouded by his desire to help you.”

Jesse felt his cheeks flush, “What makes you say that? He’s smart and he was able to keep a cool head when I was damn near killed for my recklessness.”

“Your recklessness saved his life—but his life wouldn’t have needed to be saved if he hadn’t been following your lead. He is the reckless one when it comes to your relationship, Jesse.”

Jesse looked down at the green bracelet still wrapped around his wrist. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you two are close. If I had to guess, this is your first real friendship, so maybe you don’t realize just how close your relationship is. In all honesty, it reminds me a bit of Gabe and I from when we were kids.”

“I—well, yes. I mean, I hadn’t really considered anyone a friend like Hanzo before. There were ‘friends’, but not like…”

“My point is, Jesse, just be careful what you place on his shoulders because I get the feeling that he’d gladly take whatever weight you put there if it made you happy.”

He was silent for a long time. Jesse watched Jack pick up the rest of his papers and put them away in his bag.

“Why would Hanzo do that for me and not someone else?”

Jack paused. He didn’t look at Jesse. Instead, he looked out the window, his shoulders a little tenser than before.

“Hanzo was never the best at making friends. He was friendly with others, but he had a habit of keeping his relationships superficial. I think he’s always been afraid to get too close given his family and the notion he might have to take up that mantle one day.” Jack turned to face him, “You’re similar. I think he saw that when you two first met. You have the same eyes.”

Jesse grumbled, “Like I haven’t read that line in a book.”

Jack let out an exasperated sigh, “You know what I mean. My point is, I’m not surprised that you two have become as close as you have and frankly, I’m glad you have. Hanzo didn’t use to smile as much as he does now. It’s been good for him to have someone to open up to.”

Jesse bit his lower lip. Hanzo was happier knowing him? He thought about all of the trouble he’d caused him, but also about the good times they’d had over the past few months. It wasn’t just Hanzo in those memories either. He thought about Angela and Genji and about Gabe. He clenched his fist. Maybe Jack was right. As much as he wanted to find Gabe, he wasn’t going to put others at risk or force them into a position that compromised the morals they were trying to set for themselves. Jesse was able to choose this path of his own free will. If he asked Hanzo to help, would he do it because he wanted to, or because he wanted to help him?

“If we’re lucky, Sojiro Shimada will help us. In the meantime, let’s go get something to eat. I’m tired of takeout and if I had to guess, you’re probably pretty hungry too since you’ve been sleeping.”

“Yeah. Sounds like a plan.”

 

=

 

It was almost midnight when Jack and Jesse were woken by a loud knock at their door. They both startled to awareness, picking up their wands from the bedside table and silently getting to their feet. Jack moved to the door and motioned for Jesse to cover him. _It’s too familiar_ , thought Jesse, his mind going back to the days with the gang. At least with Jack, he didn’t have to worry about being ordered to kill.

Jack waited for the count of three, then open the door, revealing a somewhat familiar figure. Jesse knew he’d never met the man, but there was something about him that he recognized. He was dressed in a sharp muggle suit and he seemed to be the picture of “put together”. Jesse lowered his wand when he saw Jack relax.

“Mr. Shimada. What brings you here so late?”

“I would assume that the answer is obvious, Mr. Morrison.” Sojiro stepped into the room. His eyes locked with Jesse’s. “Mr. McCree I would assume?”

He nodded, “Just call me Jesse.”

It wasn’t the right response. He could see in the way that Sojiro’s mouth thinned and his brow furrowed ever so slightly. If Hanzo’s father had any comment though on Jesse’s lackluster introduction, he kept it to himself, instead looking to Jack who was now shutting the door and applying a charm to keep eavesdroppers at bay.

“I will keep this brief as we are both busy men. I’ve recently received an invitation from Talon to attend a masquerade of sorts at their Venetian headquarters. It would seem that they’re trying to gain more allies. I know a dozen others who’ve received similar invitations.”

“They’re preparing to mobilize soon then.” Jack scowled, “I was wondering why they’d grown bold enough to snatch Gabe.”

Jesse shifted uncomfortably.

“Normally,” Sojiro continued, “I wouldn’t bother with such an invitation. I would send one of my representatives in my stead. However, as you’ve stated, they’re gaining influence and are no doubt preparing something. It would be remiss of me not to attend—”

“So what, did you just come here to tease us?” Jesse asked before he could stop himself.

Sojiro regarded him coolly, “To the contrary. It would be wise to allow me to finish speaking, _Jesse_. The invitation wasn’t for me. It was for my son.”

Jesse felt his stomach drop, “They sent the invitation to Hanzo? Why? Is it a trap?”

His mind ran through the possibilities. What would he have done, if he were back with the Deadlock and some kid was a potential problem? Given the setting of the masquerade and knowledge that kid could have other allies, he’d find a way to make them undo themselves. _A trap to make me cause a disturbance that gets me locked up or gets my wand snapped? I’m probably already toeing that line since I left Hogwarts. They know I’m onto Gabe’s location so they’ll want to do whatever they can at this point to keep me under control._

“I suspect that it is both a chance for Talon to see the future of my empire and yes, a trap of sorts. I have no doubt that the confrontation between my son and Mr. Ogundimu has spread as well as Hanzo’s involvement with you.”

“You’re thinking it’s a trap for Jesse then?”

“They know that he’s currently away from Hogwarts searching for Mr. Reyes. They also know that he’s fond of my son and would use the plus one on his invitation as a means of infiltrating their gathering.”

“And they know that I would know that,” Jesse sighed, “Come on, we’ve all seen this sort of stupid mind game scenario. It’s not going to work though because we’ll find another way in.”

Sojiro arched his eyebrow ever so slightly, “Oh? And why is that?”

“Because Hanzo’s not going. He’s dealt with enough on my account. Jack and I can find some other way in. You have the address for their fancy party, right? We’ll just go undercover as waiters or something.”

Jack actually laughed, “Jesse do you even have waiting experience?”

“I—no, but I’m sure I could figure it out.”

“While I appreciate your concern for my son, this is ultimately his choice to make and his first steps into accepting his inheritance. I would have sent him to this gathering regardless of whether it aided you or not.”

Jesse felt Jack’s heavy hand on his shoulder, a silent warning to remain silent. He bit his lower lip, trying to keep the glare from his eyes.

“It seems like you have a plan, Mr. Shimada?” Jack asked evenly.

“I do. Hanzo’s invitation allows for a plus one. Jesse will join him as his ‘protection’. Those who are unaware of the current situation won’t question Jesse’s involvement given his history with the Deadlock Gang. Those who are aware of Jesse’s true purpose won’t attack him though unless he provokes them. It is, after all, a formal affair. Any aggression could be an excuse for unrelated parties to start fighting.”

“You want him to go in alone—“

“He will not be alone, Mr. Morrison. As I just stated, Hanzo will be with him.” Sojiro regarded both of them shrewdly, “I am offering you my son’s services to help find Gabriel Reyes. This is my show of faith in your cause. I will put this bluntly. I don’t trust Talon and I would rather they disband or at the very least, have their operations more overt.”

“So let me get this straight, you’re offering to quietly help us if we help take out Talon?”

Jack’s grip on his shoulder tightened. To his credit, he didn’t wince.

“Are you sure about this, Mr. Shimada? Hanzo’s still a student.”

“He is also my heir and as I said, this was his decision. Who am I to stop him?”

 _Especially if it drags him deeper into your world_ , Jesse thought bitterly, wishing now that Hanzo hadn’t caught him during his escape from Hogwarts.

 

Sojiro gave them all of the details for the masquerade along with the address of a tailor who would fit Jesse with an appropriate outfit. When he left, he gave Jesse a rather strange look that he was surprised he couldn’t read. It was somewhere between curious and frosty with just enough distaste to make Jesse question whether or not Sojiro was in on the trap that was no doubt being set. He reasoned though that there was no way that Sojiro would sell out his own son.

Jesse and Jack went to the tailor in the morning. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, he was pretty sure that Jack would have died laughing watching the tailor trying to measure and fit Jesse. It was a process that took longer than it should have thanks to Jesse’s constantly flinching and swearing whenever the tape measure (moving on its own) whipped around him. Once the tailor had his measurements though, the process became exceedingly quicker. After about a twenty-minute wait, the tailor came back with a pair of black dress robes (which looked normal enough as far as wizard clothes went). Robes in hand, they returned to the hotel and Jesse got ready for the masquerade, which would be happening that evening. Hanzo would be meeting them at the hotel in an hour though so they could take a portkey to the event.

Jack had to help him with some of the buttons and the laces of his shoes. Jesse protested that he could do it himself with a spell, but Jack insisted (“everything has to be perfect—if you look out of place, they’ll question you, regardless of your invitation”). At about a quarter to four, they prepared to head downstairs. Jesse paused briefly to examine himself in the mirror. It was a strange sight. The robes fit him well and were made with a sleek fabric that reminded him of a suit. While they were black, when he moved under the light he could see a hint of crimson underneath, which was accented by brass buttons. His hair, which had grown out to his shoulders, was carefully brushed and smoothed so the waves were tamed. He’d never paid attention to his hair before, but then again he’d never gone to a formal event. His stomach twisted a little. This was it. If he failed, they might never find Gabe and at worst, he might get captured as well and Hanzo could get caught in the crossfire. He checked his wand, which was carefully tucked away up his sleeve using a spare holster than Jack had. Jesse took a deep breath and followed after Jack out of the hotel room.

 

Hanzo was waiting for them in the lobby. He was dressed in silken robes that were such a dark blue they might have been black. They were delicately embroidered with clouds and bolts of lighting. Around his waist was a navy blue obi. His hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. As Jesse drew closer, he noticed that Hanzo was wearing the black leather bracelet that he’d given him for Christmas still. Jesse felt a strange flutter in his chest.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

Jesse blinked, “What?”

“You’re smirking at me. Robes are traditional and these are popular in Japan—“

“I wasn’t laughing. I was just…you look good.”

It was Hanzo’s turn to look taken aback. He mumbled a soft ‘oh’ before having the grace to look embarrassed.

Jack watched the two before shaking his head at them, “Now that you two have that out of the way, are you ready to go? Do you have the portkey?”

Hanzo nodded, taking out a small bronze statuette of a sitting wolf. He sat it down on a table next to them.

“Well that’s on the nose,” Jesse grumbled.

“If you’re worried you don’t have to go,” Hanzo said, “I can handle the mission myself.”

“Mission?” Jack sighed, “Hanzo, you’re a civilian in this matter.”

“And so is Jesse, but you’ve involved him,” said Hanzo pointedly, “I want to rescue Professor Reyes too.”

“At what cost though, Hanzo?”

Hanzo glared at Jesse, “I know the cost, Jesse. I’ve known about it for a long time and I’ve accepted it. Besides, helping you helps me as well.”

Jesse put his hand on his hip, “How? How exactly does it help you?”

“It helps me to protect Genji. He doesn’t want to be part of this life. I can handle it though and I’ve made my choice.”

Jack looked between the two before clearing his throat, “Ah, when will the portkey activate?”

“Shortly. You have the location, Professor Morrison?”

Jack nodded, “I’ll meet you two there. I may have found a way in with the kitchen staff. I won’t be able to help you though in the main hall. If you get into trouble, head for the kitchens. That’ll be your extraction point. Understood?”

“Roger,” Jesse said, feeling a slight grin tug at the corner of his mouth.

“Remember Jesse, you can trust me,” Jack said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder, “You can trust Hanzo too. So don’t go running off on your own and doing something reckless.”

Jesse nodded, “I won’t, don’t worry. It’s not like I have the means to right now.”

“You have a wand.”

“I—…yeah, that’s fair. I won’t leave Hanzo though.”

Jesse grinned and put his arm over Hanzo’s shoulders to both his and Hanzo’s surprised. Hanzo avoided Jesse’s gaze and instead took out a pocket watch.

“It’s time.”

“What do we do?”

“Grab the portkey and wait,” Jack instructed, “Jesse, no matter what happens, stay with Hanzo, alright?”

“Understood, Jack. I’ll behave, I promise.”

He reached out and put his pointer finger on the statuette. Hanzo did the same. They stood there for half a minute, waiting. Then, Jesse felt something like a hook just behind his bellybutton and the next thing he knew, his feet were off the ground. He felt like he was spinning in a twister, going faster and faster—

 

Until he fell forward onto the ground with a grumbled and “FUCK!”. Jesse blew his hair out of his face and looked over to see Hanzo standing beside him, grinning widely.

“Well that’s one way to make an entrance.”

He held out his hand and helped Jesse up. They were in what usually served as a room for hanging up coats if Jesse had to guess. The floors were made of some sort of pale, shiny stone and there was a chandelier over their heads…even inside of the coat closet. There were a few other witches and wizards in the room as well who were given the two boys a wide berth and picturesque scowls which were soon hidden by masks.

“Ah, Hanzo…I think I forgot something.”

“You can’t forget something that you never had to begin with,” Hanzo said and casually took out two masks from a bag that should not have been able to hold two masks.

The mask that he passed to Jesse appeared to be plain black at first, but like his robes, Jesse soon saw that they had a hint of red that glimmered beneath the black. Hanzo’s mask had almost the same shape, but it was white with blue paint under and on the eyes. A swirling motif was present as well around the edges of the mask. Hanzo helped Jesse put on his first before putting his own on.

“They’re not much of a disguise. Don’t know how this works for superheroes.”

“They’re not meant to be a disguise they’re meant to ensure we fit in.”

“Isn’t that a disguise?”

Hanzo sighed, “We’re not trying to hide who we are. We’re trying to show that we belong. Come on, standing in here will definitely give people the impression we don’t belong.”

He gently took Jesse’s hand and led him out. He didn’t let go as they approached a large group of people in line for what looked like the entrance to a ballroom. Hanzo glanced over at Jesse and carefully fixed his robes and hair.

“Just let me do all of the talking.”

“And then what do we do once we get in?”

“I believe the phrase is ‘we wing it’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I had to crack open my old Goblet of Fire book to get the Portkey description.


	25. The Masquerade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who missed it, a prologue was added to the fic. It is a reposting of what was originally a separate one-shot connected to this fic.

Jesse liked to think that he was good at blending in when he wanted to, but he was a regular fish out of water as Hanzo led him into the ballroom. It reminded him a little of the different ballrooms he’d seen in Disney movies, but somehow grander. Everything seemed to drip with money and decadence. Even in his new robes, he felt like he stood out like some mutt who got let into a dog show by mistake. Hanzo, on the other hand, was a regular butterfly. He moved through the throngs of people with ease, his face impassive with his head held high. Jesse found himself staring at Hanzo, something that didn’t go unnoticed by him.

“You’re doing it again.”

“What?”

“What you did earlier.”

Jesse looked away, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks, “Sorry…”

Hanzo looked away as well, clearing his throat, “To the matter at hand, I’m not really sure where we should start looking if I’m being entirely honest.”

They came to a stop near one of the many tables around the edges of the room. Jesse narrowed his eyes, looking from person to person, expecting to recognize someone. He found only a sea of strangers. Were these really the same people who did business with the Deadlock Gang? They all seemed so…professional. Grand even.

“Is everyone here really part of the underground?”

“That or some other form of illegal activity, yes,” Hanzo replied in a hushed voice, “Some simply embezzle, others sell goods. I will say that some of the finer looking individuals deal in all sorts of unsavory crimes beyond even what I think your gang was involved with.”

“Who would have thought criminals could clean up so well?”

“I know, right?” Hanzo gave Jesse a look.

“Hey, I’m reformed.”

“Hence the ‘cleaned up’ part.”

Jesse nudged Hanzo lightly before turning his attention back to the people. The attire was a mixture of wizarding dress robes and fine gowns and suits. The blend was odd, but given the richness of each garment, it all seemed to fit. _Why is Hanzo’s dad helping?_ It wasn’t the first time the question had crossed his mind that night. It just seemed odd. Yes, he had heard his explanation about wanting to take out Talon because it was affecting their business, but why risk Hanzo, even if it was to help force him into the family business? It seemed convoluted.

Jesse suddenly shivered, feeling the hairs on his arms stand on end. He looked subtly to his left. A group a few tables away were watching them. Werewolves didn’t necessarily have a spidey sense, but he was getting a sense that something was wrong. He didn’t want these people looking at him or Hanzo. They all wore masks, as was the attire and Jesse got the feeling that he knew them.

“Come on,” Jesse said suddenly, taking Hanzo’s hand.

“What are—“

“We’re conspicuous right now. Just standing around, not mingling, it looks weird.”

He led Hanzo out towards the dance floor where people were currently doing some sort of waltz if he had to guess. It occurred to him as they got to the edge of the dance area that he had no idea how to actually dance. Hanzo quickly took him, putting his hand behind his back and steering him towards the group.

“Follow my lead,” he said quietly, starting to fall in with the steps.

Jesse, a little stunned, obliged, putting his hand on Hanzo’s back as well. He started to mime his steps, a little awkwardly at first, but slowly he fell in. It was a simple dance, he saw, although some other guests were doing something more complicated.

“Viennese waltz,” Hanzo grumbled, his eyes rolling, “I hated learning that one. We’ll blend in well enough with this though.”

“I take it you had lessons?” Jesse asked, wincing a bit as he fell out of step for a moment.

“My father thought it would be a good idea for his heir to be able to conduct dancefloor politics. Genji learned too…he really took to dancing even if he hated ballroom. Dip.”

“What?”

“Lean back—never mind, we missed the moment. I know you wanted to blend in, but we really stand out right now.”

“Well sorry for not practicing before I came.”

Hanzo smirked, “You haven’t stepped on my feet yet so I’ll say you’re not hopeless at least.”

“Well, there’s something.”

They carefully navigated the floor for a time, Hanzo leading, Jesse doing his best to mimic and follow. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, even if he did feel embarrassed. He found that he kept staring at Hanzo, noticing little things that he hadn’t before like the way the bridge of his nose curved slightly and his high cheekbones, both features which were accentuated by the mask. His eyes too stood out from behind the white mask. The brown seemed more intense, reminding Jesse of a tiger’s eye stone that he’d found as a kid. They were constantly moving, looking around and watching for threats while they danced. Every so often they fell back on him only to quickly look away.

Jesse glanced back at the table again that had been watching them and saw they were still keeping an eye on the two while they danced. He frowned, trying to read the lower half of the most familiar face. He came to a sudden halt, his heart giving a small jolt of dread.

“Hey, warn me before you—Jesse? What is it?”

“The silver and red mask. That’s Maximilien.”

Hanzo swept Jesse back up into the dance, slowly turning the two so that way he could see where Jesse had been looking. Jesse knew he clutched Hanzo’s hands tighter once his back was turned to Maximilien. Hanzo didn’t pull away though. If anything, he moved slowly closer to Jesse.

“So that’s him. I saw him before. He did business with my father.”

“Do you know what sort of business?” Jesse asked, trying very hard not to let the rising anxiety cloud his mind.

“Experimental magic and forbidden items, mostly. He was looking for something that would help with the long-term use of a variation of the imperius curse.”

“Which is?”

“Essentially mind control. It forces the victim to obey the commands of the caster. The victim will feel like the commands are gentle suggestions and won’t realize anything is wrong. It’s one of the Unforgivable Curses. Jesse? You ok?”

Jesse shook his head. He felt sick. Hanzo shifted his hold so he was now hugging Jesse, pulling him close.

“I think…they were trying to do something with that to that girl, Amélie.”

“The one you protected?”

He nodded but didn’t say anything else. There was some warning in the back of his mind; some nagging thought that he was forgetting something important.

“My father didn’t have what he was looking for so I don’t think they succeeded. Come on, let’s go get some water.”

Hanzo spoke softly as he let go just enough so they could walk. He kept one hand firmly in Jesse’s, speaking the entire time while they went to the table with drinks.

“At least we know we’re in the right place now,” Jesse said hoarsely, picking up a glass of water with a shaking hand.

“And now it’s just a matter of negotiation.”

Jesse almost dropped his cup, “Wait, what? Hanzo you’re joking. You can’t negotiate with them!”

“I can and I will. I have my father’s blessing to use some of our assets to get Professor Reyes back if I can and at the very least, my father expects me to open a dialogue with them.”

“Hanzo, this is…”

Jesse fell silent. What could he say? It was a good plan, as much as he hated to admit it, and it was a lot better than going in and ‘winging it’ as Hanzo had so aptly put it earlier.

“I’ll back you up,” Jesse said after a long moment, “Just promise me you won’t do anything to get yourself too caught up in all of this, please?”

Hanzo looked down, his dark eyes sad, “You know that’s not exactly an option. We’re both part of this life, whether we want to acknowledge it.”

Jesse set his cup down and once again took Hanzo’s hand in his. He didn’t have anything to say. There really wasn’t anything else they could say after all. They both knew the truth of it. Hanzo gently squeezed his hand back before letting go. Jesse watched him for a moment, his throat tight, then followed.

They didn’t get far.

They were about halfway to the table when someone very large stood in their way, towering over them. He was dressed in a white suit that somehow managed to further show off his muscles. There was a single, red rose on his suit, just above his heart, as if he was expecting to duel.

“Ah, Mr. Shimada. I am glad to see you survived our meeting.” Ogundimu shifted his gaze onto Jesse, lingering over his missing arm, “Mr. McCree. I didn’t expect to see you quite so soon. Still struggling to grow, I see?”

Hanzo shifted so he was slightly in front of Jese, blocking him from doing anything too brash, which was wise. Jesse could already feel his lip curling. He wanted to demand for Ogundimu to tell him where Gabe was, whether that meant attacking him directly (without warning—Jesse was not afraid to throw the first punch) or dueling.

“I don’t believe we’ve formally met,” Hanzo said cooly, “It’s Mr. Ogundimu, correct?”

Ogundimu smiled, “As much as I enjoy playing games, I’m not here to dance around formalities. You’re here to negotiate for Gabriel Reyes’s release, correct?”

“Where is he?” Jesse snapped, earning him a not so gentle jab from Hanzo.

“Perhaps we should discuss terms somewhere else? I would rather not negotiate around prying ears,” Hanzo said evenly.

“I agree,” Ogundimu said, “Follow me. We have a room just for this purpose.”

He turned and started to head towards one of the many exits out of the ballroom. Jesse and Hanzo followed, exchanging glances in a heated, silent conversation. In the end, though, they both agreed that this was their only option.

The room that Ogundimu led them to did appear to be for business. There was a large table at the center with about a dozen chairs, notepads at each seat, a small set of cups and a pitcher of water off in one corner, and a bell that Jesse suspected was to call for service.

“If you two will take a seat, I’ll be back in a moment. There are a few other interested parties who would likely want to attend our business deal.”

“Of course.”

“Let me guess—my old boss?”

Ogundimu actually grinned, “He still talks about you. I think he misses you.”

With that, he turned and left the room. As soon as the two boys were sure that he was out of earshot, they started to hastily work out a plan to escape should the deal go sour. They didn’t get far because while they were in the midst of their third potential plan (“We’ll turn them into ferrets—“ “Jesse do you even know that spell?”) Jesse noticed something shiny on the table that he hadn’t seen before. He frowned, going over to get a closer look. His stomach sank. On the table were two familiar,

“Cufflinks. Gabe’s cufflinks.”

Jese knew those cufflinks. He'd bought them for Gabe's Christmas present. He knew they'd been planted there to distress him, to make him lose focus. He was aware that they might be cursed now with who knew what spell, but nevertheless he reached out for them. Jesse went to pick one up just as Hanzo shouted, “No!” and dove to push his hand away. They touched the cufflink at the same time and quite suddenly, Jesse was met with the now familiar sensation of being transported by a portkey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a shorter chapter, but I liked the cliffhanger. 
> 
> We're almost to the end of Part 1 guys!


	26. Belly of the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse's captured, Hanzo is missing, and everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

Jesse sat up slowly, looking around his new surroundings. Hanzo was crouched beside him, wand already out and at the ready. He looked briefly to Jesse, then slightly motioned to Jesse’s arm where he’d secreted his wand away with the borrowed holster from Jack. Hanzo tugged the wand free and passed it to Jesse, his eyes constantly looking around them for a threat. Jesse did the same, letting his eyes adjust to the dim rather than casting lumos. As the darkness receded, becoming greyer, he found that their location was becoming more and more familiar. They were in a warehouse, but not just any warehouse. It was one of the old hideouts of the Deadlock Gang back at route 66. Jesse was home.

Jesse took a deep breath, then signaled for Hanzo to follow him. He knew this place after all. _Why send us here though?_ he thought, picking his way as quietly as he could across the concrete floor. The building appeared to be empty and he couldn’t even hear the hum of the air ducts overhead. The place had to be abandoned—after all, hadn’t the aurors cleaned out the gang from this area?

Jesse led Hanzo to cover behind some crates before he broke the silence with as hushed of a whisper as he could manage.

“We’re in America—back near my old home.”

“This is a Deadlock hideout?”

Jesse nodded and peered cautiously around the crates, “I say we make a break out of here and go to the nearest town. We can call for help from there.”

“They had to send us here for a reason though,” Hanzo reasoned, “Shouldn’t we look around?”

He had a point. Jesse worried his lower lip, thinking. Hanzo frowned at him, determination in his eyes.

“At the very least we should find what we can before we’re spotted. We might be able to find some evidence about what they’ve been up to or…”

“Or where Gabe is.”

Jesse brought up his mental map of the warehouse, “There’s an office at the very end of the building—or we treated it like an office. It’s not a huge room, but if they’re setting up anything, it’d be in there.”

Hanzo nodded, “Lead the way.”

It seemed like every step echoed as they made their way towards the back of the warehouse, clinging to the edges of the room. Every nerve in his body was on edge, ready to react at a moment’s notice. The only sounds came from their breathing and steady progress towards the back room.

The paused just out of reach of the room, once again taking cover behind some old boxes. Peering past them, Jesse saw that the door was shut, not that that would be an issue itself. The bigger challenge would be if their opening the door set off a trap or worse if there was someone waiting beyond the door. Hanzo glanced to Jesse, then carefully moved towards the door and tested the handle. It was unlocked.

“Count of three,” Hanzo whispered, “One…two…”

“Three.”

Hanzo turned the handle and pushed the door open. He stepped aside just in time to avoid a red stunner that went flying past him. Jesse barely had time to react before something smacked into the back of his head, causing a burst of stars to appear before his eyes. He crumpled, shouting a warning to Hanzo as he went down. As his vision faded, he saw bursts of light and then nothing.

 

* * *

 

 

Jesse didn’t want to open his eyes. His stupid left arm ached as if Moira had never tampered with the curse and the rest of his body felt sluggish. It took his mind longer than was ideal to slowly wake up, piecing together bits of information. He was on his back on what felt like a very stiff bed or cot and he could feel shackles on his wrist and ankles. _Shit…,_ he thought and forced himself to open his eyes.

The room was lit with a flickering fluorescent light that made his eyes immediately start to water. He looked away, blinking away the tears before taking in the smaller details of the room. The room seemed…cozy for all intents and purposes. There was a desk set up with stacks of papers and rolls of parchment, a tower of books beside it, and a couch that may have doubled as a futon. Jesse turned his head to get a better look at the other side of the room and gasped. Lying on a bed ten feet away from him was Gabe.

He looked worse for wear. There was a sickly pallor to his skin and he seemed to be shivering, as if feverish. At first, Jesse thought his eyes or still waking mind were playing tricks on him, but every so often it seemed as though Gabe would fade, a black misty shadow trickling off of him. _What did they do to him?_ Jesse thought and started to desperately tug at his shackles. The noise did nothing other than alert his captors that he was awake.

A door opened and in walked a tall, spindly woman with copper hair and mismatch eyes.

“Moira.”

“Well aren’t you the impatient one. I said I wouldn’t be ready to treat you for a week.”

Jesse glared at her, “You were working with Talon all along, weren’t you?”

She didn’t reply. She merely walked over to Gabe’s bedside and took out her wand, casting a few spells before snapping her fingers. A quill on her desk jumped to life and started to take notes on a piece of paper, reacting it seemed to the spells she was casting.

“Hmm…seems to be stabilizing. The last batch must have integrated—“

“What did you do to him?” Jesse demanded, continuing to fight against the shackles.

“Nothing he won’t appreciate later, assuming he survives.” She turned her gaze to him now, looking down at him, “Speaking of things that will be appreciated later…”

Jesse could do nothing as she pointed her wand at him and said a spell, causing everything to immediately go black.

* * *

 

Hanzo was out of options. Everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong. He’d failed to make contact with Talon in a meaningful way that would satisfy his father, he’d failed to find Gabriel Reyes, and now to top it all of he’d lost his best friend. No, no to make things worst, he’d lost his best friend _and ran away_. He scowled down at the wand in his hand. He’d snatched up Jesse’s wand after the other had gone down from the woman’s spell and ran away. At the time, it had seemed like the rational thing to do—leave to fight another day. Now he just felt sick.

 _Fight another day_? How was he supposed to do that alone and without any backup let alone a proper plan? He supposed he could go into town as Jesse had suggested to phone for help, but that would waste precious time assuming that he even made it to the town without getting caught. That woman, Moira he assumed, knew he was nearby after all. She’d no doubt have her men looking for him. Hanzo twisted the wand in his hand, looking at the diamond pattern as it spun in his grasp.

Logically there was no way to storm the warehouse now. It was swarming with Talon wizards and Moira wasn’t someone he wanted to toy with. He had to find a different way in or some way to reach Jack that didn’t involve going all the way to town. Hanzo briefly cast a look around his surroundings (he was hiding just outside of the warehouse at a loading dock) before stowing Jesse’s wand away and taking out his own. He held it up and then, against his better judgment, closed his eyes.

He tried to recreate the scene in his mind: the smell of the grass, the lake, the last of the warm summer breeze soon bringing the winter winds. He remembered looking over to see Jesse gazing up towards the sky, his hat askew from lying back on the grass, his gaze turned up to the clouds. He remembered how peaceful he felt, Jesse’s hand in his, his promise to be there for him. It was a simple time, before everything had happened, before he’d let Jesse down not once, but twice now. It was when, for a moment, he thought that maybe he could see the sort of life that Genji wanted, one with laughter and fun. He pulled everything he could from that moment, held it close to his heart and let it encompass him.

“Expecto Patronum.”

* * *

 

When Jesse came to again he wasted no time in letting his mind wake up. He immediately started to tug at his bindings, opening his eyes and twisting—only to stop when he felt resistance on his left arm. A sickening dread filled him. He counted to three in his head, then turned, expecting to see the worst—some new experiment of Moira’s or the curse come back with a renewed vengeance.

Instead, he saw that attached to arm was a metal prosthetic. It was made of a grey metal with blue, glowing accents in some of the joints and around the forearm area. He could practically feel the magic around where it attached to his arm. He stared at it and, cautiously, tried to move a finger. It worked.

He didn’t dare to believe it. It seemed as though Moira had kept good on her word and given him a new arm. But why? It didn’t benefit her in any way other than the satisfaction of finishing a challenging job. If anything it made him more of a challenge to keep captive. He clenched his new hand into a fist, testing the movement. The shackles around the arm lit up, resisting any strong movement just like the ones from his interrogation so long ago.

Jesse looked over at the bed where Gabe had been and realized to his horror that he was gone. He grit his teeth and shouted in frustration. _Nice job, Jess. You got your arm back sure, but at what cost? Stupid! Stupid!_

He heard the door open and sure enough, Moira came into his view a few moments later, smiling at him.

“I see you’re adjusting well to your new prosthetic. I did promise that I would have it done by the end of the week.”

“Where’s Gabe?” Jesse snapped, trying to sit up as much as he could with the restraints.

“You’ll find that the limb will work the same as your old arm, although I imagine that it’s a bit more durable. It’ll change with you too when you transform. That was a challenging bit, but I think it’ll be a nice touch.”

“Tell me where Gabe is!”

“I broke the curse as well. Akande really did make a complex jinx. I had to consult him to be sure about a few things before I completely broke it.”

“Where is—“

Moira sighed, “You really are single-minded. No thank you? I hope you realize just how complex that curse was.”

Jesse was shaking, glaring at her with every ounce of venom that he could muster. “Where is Gabe?”

“Stabilizing. That’s all you need to know.” She came over to Jesse and waved her wand over him, no doubt running diagnostic spells. “You should know that the only reason I’m working with Talon is because they’re willing to push the limits when it comes to experimental magic. They’re willing to broaden their minds. I’m no more loyal to them though than I was to St. Mungos—so there’s no reason to be upset with _me_.”

“Fuck off. You’re still working with them.”

She smirked at him, “If you’re suggesting that motivation doesn’t matter then I suggest you look back at your own history. I think you’ll find that the only reason you were given amnesty was because of your circumstances and motivation. Just a thought.”

Moira flicked her wand one last time before she turned at left the room. She paused before she headed out, adding,

“Oh and, make sure you keep testing that arm. Let me know if something isn’t working. Of course, the real test won’t come until the full moon, but for now, let’s just make sure the basic functions work.”

* * *

 

Jesse lost track of days. He may have been in Moira’s lab for a few days or maybe even longer. Without a window or a steady meal plan (Moira never actually brought him food, only occasionally gave him a potion that kept him surprisingly satiated, if not exactly satisfied) it was impossible to tell how many days had past. He didn’t give up struggling against his bonds. Every time Moira came to visit, she would heal the bruises and sores around his wrists, tutting at him before gently scolding him and running more tests. She didn’t give him any more information about Gabe.

* * *

 

_The sun was slowly baking the back of his neck. He could already feel the burn setting in. Jesse glared up at it before wiping his brow and heading back into the dinner. A few other members were clustered around a table, looking over the latest plan of attack on a train that would be going through the gorge next week. Some others were at the back around the counter being served by the “designated chef” as they liked to call him._

_“Hey Jess, you ready for this? It’ll be a fun heist. An actual train robbery!”_

_Jesse looked over, grinning, “It’ll be in’erestin’ alright. Boss approve of the plan?”_

_The dream shifted and Jesse was standing on the lip of the gorge, looking off at the tracks. His stomach was in knots, but he had a wry smile plastered on his face._

_“We’re gonna be rich after this one.”_

_“We’re already rich,” Jesse laughed, “But I won’t complain. Little more money’ll go a long way. Think we can rent out that warehouse then no questions asked.”_

_“Boss’ll like that. He’s been needing a new storage space.”_

_“Any idea what for?”_

_“No idea. By the way, he wanted to talk to you Jess once we finish this. Said he needed to ask you something important.”_

_The gorge faded and Jesse was in the back office with Mr. Talon. He was behind his desk, looking down at some papers in front of him. Jesse sat across from him, his hat in his lap._

_“Sir? What sort of exam? I ain’t sick, am I?”_

_“Of course not, but we just want to be sure that you’re healthy. You’ve been having the change for a year now and we need to make sure that your body is holding up. Don’t worry, it’ll be a short procedure. You won’t remember a thing.”_

_“That’s what worries me though, sir.”_

_Mr. Talon looked up, seeming hurt, “Don’t you trust me?”_

_“Of course!” Jesse said hurriedly, “It’s just…I ain’t never been put under before. Don’t really like doctors that much either.”_

_“O’Deorain is an excellent doctor. There’s nothing to be concerned about, Jesse. You’re going to be fine. After all, I wouldn’t do anything to harm you,—“_

 

“—Jesse! Jesse wake up! Hey!”

Jesse gasped, trying to sit up and surprisingly, he found he was able to. He looked around wildly before his eyes adjusted and he focused on the person beside him.

“Jack?!”

“No time to explain. Can you stand?” He was already checking over Jesse for injuries.

“I think so. But Jack—Gabe’s here! And Hanzo got separated and—“

“Don’t worry we’re here and I’ve got Reyes,” came a voice from the door.

Jesse looked up and felt a cool surge of relief wash through him. Hanzo was standing near the door looking none the worse for wear. He was carefully supporting Gabe who appeared to be unconscious, but from what Jesse could tell, unharmed. The color had returned to his skin and he didn’t seem to be fading at all. _Was all of that just a dream?_ he thought, but he wasn’t given time to ponder it further as Jack helped him from the bed. Jesse found his feet after a moment and reaffirmed that he could walk.

“Then we have to hurry. There are wards here to prevent apparition so we have to get out of the warehouse before we can leave. Come on. We knocked out the guards but we haven’t seen Moira so there’s no telling—“

“Moira?” Jesse thought back to the dream he’d been having. “She’s not here?”

“No, but we don’t know when she’ll return so we have to move!”

Jack led the way out, keeping his wand up and at the ready. Jesse fell in with Hanzo, who also had his wand up as well as he could while also supporting Gabe. Jesse moved so he could shoulder some of Gabe’s weight as well. He was glad that Hanzo had him on the side that would allow him to use his flesh arm rather than his new, untested one. The last thing he wanted was to find out he had some cursed Terminator arm that was preprogrammed to attack his friends upon contact.

There were a dozen questions rolling through Jesse’s mind, but he kept his tongue still, instead listening for any signs of pursuit as they proceeded through the warehouse. Jesse saw the unconscious bodies of the guards, some of whom he recognized from his days with the gang. He swallowed hard and moved on.

As they reached the exit of the warehouse, they stepped outside into the chilly night air. The smell of the desert was intoxicatingly familiar and the light of the moon cast the world in a brilliant grey and blue cast. His throat caught for a moment at the swell of nostalgia that ran through him. He moved to take another step in line with Hanzo, but winced as he felt a sudden spasm hit his nerves, making his muscles and joints lock up. At first he thought that a stunner must have hit him from behind.

“What? Jesse come on we don’t have time—oh no. Jack! The moon!”

At the word, Jesse found his gaze turning upward towards the orb in the sky, his eyes locking onto it, drawing him in.

“Hanzo get away from him!”

He felt Gabe being pulled from his grasp just as the first jolt of pain hit him. He stumbled to his knees, breaking eye contact with the moon only to see Jack carrying Gabe while slowly backing away from him with Hanzo at his side.

“I haven’t had the potion…” Jesse said, his voice flat, “She didn’t…I’m not safe—gah!”

He curled in on himself, taking in a deep breath.

Jack stood still now, looking from Jesse to Hanzo and Gabe before seeming to come to a decision, his face becoming grim. “Hanzo, come here. We have to leave.”

“I’m not leaving him.”

The words hung in the air.

“There’s no time, we have to leave! There’s nothing we can do for him.”

“If we leave now Talon will just take him back!” Hanzo snapped and stepped away from Jack, “I’m not leaving him behind.”

“Han…go! I’ll be fine.” Jesse forced a tight smile onto his face, “Please. I’ll be fine. They won’t find me once I—“

He could feel his mind starting to recede as his bones shifted and hair started to prickle along his limbs. He wanted to shout at Jack to grab Hanzo and go, but it was all he could do now to stay conscious in his own mind. _Please take him! I can’t hurt you guys! Just go!_ He screamed the words in his mind, praying that they would somehow reach Jack.

He heard a loud pop—the sound of an apparition. _Thank you…_ he thought, but just as he let his mind go, he looked up and saw a pair of brown eyes.

“I’m not leaving you, Jesse.”

The face before him started to change, but before he could register what was happening, the beast took over.


	27. Running with the Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo has to protect Jesse while he's under the influence of the full moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was told that I needed to make a chapter sooner rather than later after the cliffhanger at the end.
> 
> Enjoy ;-)

“Han…go! I’ll be fine!”

Jesse’s smile broke him. Hanzo watched as his friend struggled to maintain composure, sweat beading his brow and a shaky smile barely holding on to his face. Jack was reaching for his shoulder, but Hanzo stepped away, raising his wand.

“I’m staying. Thank you for your help, Jack, but I can handle it from here.”

“I’m not going to leave you behind with a werewolf, Hanzo! Even I wouldn’t—“

“My father has given me a way to handle this now go!” Hanzo lowered his wand, giving him a calm nod, “I’ll keep him safe and contact you in the morning.”

“How will you—?”

His words were cut off by a scream from Jesse. Jack looked over Hanzo’s shoulder, then to Gabe before he finally sighed.

“If you realize you can’t handle it, remember there is no shame in leaving. He won’t be Jesse for much longer.”

“I know. Now go.”

Hanzo blinked, and Jack and Gabe vanished with a pop. He turned, rushing over to Jesse. He kneeled in front of him, checking on how far he’d progressed. He seemed about halfway through the transformation, a mess of awkwardly shaped limbs and brown fur. There was something else though that caught his attention. He’d noticed Jesse’s new arm when they’d first found him, but neither he nor Jack had had the time to examine it during their rescue. Looking at it now, he saw that it too was changing, the metal warping and remolding itself to match Jesse’s right arm. He noticed Jesse looking at him, panic in his eyes. Hanzo forced himself not to reach out, instead saying as calmly as possible,

“I’m not leaving you, Jesse.”

Hanzo watched in horror as he saw the familiar light of Jesse’s eyes recede, the usual warm gaze now replaced by a cold, calculating stare. He was still changing—Hanzo could see the way that the bones and muscles continued to shift sickeningly beneath his skin—but he was nearly done now and he was no longer the Jesse he knew. There was no more time.

Hanzo took in a deep breath, allowing himself to relax before picturing a wolf in his mind. Unlike Jesse, his shift was swift and as painless as breathing. By the time he’d let his breath out, he’d already changed and in his place was a large white wolf.

He waited until Jesse’s transformation was completed before moving. Unlike the first time he’d watched Jesse change or even the second time, there was no hesitation in his movements. He got to his feet and immediately took a lower stance, his ears back, teeth bared. Hanzo maintained a proud stance, taller, meeting Jesse’s eyes. _Come on, Jesse. You might not be all there, but there’s got to be some part of you that is…_ Whether it was the recognition or Hanzo’s body language, Jesse backed down. After a moment, he crept closer in an almost inquisitive way, although his stance still suggested that he would attack if Hanzo showed any threatening messages. He allowed Jesse to approach, to get closer. After a very long pause, Jesse butted his nose against Hanzo’s muzzle before turning away and starting to run.

Hanzo followed after him, easily keeping pace. There was something oddly exhilarating about running beside Jesse across the barren landscape, the night sky overhead casting the world in a bright, desaturated glow. Was this what Jesse meant so long ago when he’d begged Hanzo to let him go run? No wondered he’d wanted it so bad. Despite their current situation, Hanzo had never felt quite so free.

They ran for hours, stopping every so often to catch their breath. Hanzo corralled Jesse whenever he started to stray too close to the town or the road. It was a little difficult at first and Jesse fought back, nipping at Hanzo’s arm and shoulder when he did, but eventually, he submitted and followed Hanzo’s lead. The bites didn’t matter—while he was in his animagus form, the curse couldn’t take hold. In this form, Hanzo was safe and better still, he could protect Jesse.

By the time that dawn started to creep over the horizon, Hanzo was exhausted, but his job wasn’t done. As the rays of morning light hit Jesse, he slowed to a stop, staring at the oncoming dawn, before yelping and collapsing, his transformation reversing. Hanzo shifted as well, going to Jesse’s side once he was about halfway returned. Briefly, their eyes met, but before they could really focus they rolled back and Jesse fainted.

“Come on, Jess, I need you to wake up. You’re the only one who knows this area.”

Hanzo shook his shoulder, but Jesse remained unresponsive until he cast a spell to create a small spout of water, splashing Jesse’s face. Jesse immediately jerked awake, looking around wildly until he saw Hanzo. He looked from Hanzo’s face to the clotted bites on his arm and shoulder. The next thing Hanzo knew, Jesse was sobbing, trying to pull away from him, all the way saying he was sorry.

“Jesse—it’s fine! I’m alright! You’re alright.”

It took him a while to calm Jesse down. He held him close, running his hands through his hair, saying soothing words. Eventually, Jesse wore himself out, only the occasional hiccup interrupting the quiet of the morning. Once he was sure that Jesse was at least relatively composed, Hanzo quietly said,

“I need you to focus, ok? Do you recognize anything around us?”

Jesse sniffed and looked around. He didn’t say anything at first, but eventually, he spoke up.

“The diner’s near here. If we follow that road over there, we should get to it. I know this…this area. Used to be where we all ended up when the night ended. Hanzo, I’m so sorry. I should have known it was the full moon and now I bit you and you’re—“

“Jesse there’s no way you could have known and don’t worry. I’m not infected. Come on, let’s get some clothes on you before the sun gets too high.”

Hanzo took out a small bag from his pocket and opened it up, reaching inside. He’d enchanted it and filled it with numerous essentials. He was now incredibly glad that he’d thought to do so before the start of the mission. After a moment, he pulled out what would have been his change of clothes. Jesse put up little resistance as Hanzo pulled on the spare pants and shirt. He seemed to fade in and out of consciousness, both the physical and emotional exhaustion taking a toll on him. Hanzo wondered if Jesse would remember any of their conversation. His memory was always spotty during the window after his shift.

Once Hanzo had Jesse dressed he carefully picked him up onto his back and started to walk in the direction that Jesse had indicated earlier. Every so often he felt Jesse stir, but for the most part, he remained asleep with his hand tightly wound around Hanzo’s robe.

After a half hour, Hanzo was forced to wake Jesse up to check that he was still heading in the right direction. Like before, it took a bit of coaxing. He remained awake (although every so often his head would loll forward before he forced himself to remain conscious), confirming Hanzo’s heading.

“Used to practice shooting over there. We’re ‘bout ten minutes from the diner now.”

“Did you shoot out into the desert?” Hanzo asked, trying to keep Jesse engaged.

“Had cans set up. Sometimes I saw a rabbit. Didn’t shoot it unless the other guys told me to.”

“Were you from around here? Before joining Deadlock I mean?”

“Foster family was. I don’t know…somewhere. Always in places like this. Orange and blue. Never really kept me. Deadlock did. They took care of me. I ratted them out though.”

“You did,” Hanzo said patiently, “But you had to. They were using you, remember? Hey, which fork should I take?”

“Left.”

He didn’t say anything for a while after that, but that was all right. Hanzo could see the diner off in the distance now, a small, shiny silver building seemingly in the middle of nowhere. At first he hadn’t been sure it was the best place to go, given that the warehouse was compromised, not to mention that most of Talon and the Deadlock gang would know that Jesse might come here post-transformation due to the familiarity of the location, but the idea of shelter was too good to pass up. _I can set up wards once we’re inside and it’s already decently defensible, assuming no one else is using it._

“Han?”

“Hmm?”

“Did I bite you?”

So he wasn’t completely conscious yet. It seemed like transformations without the potion were more taxing on him, at least mentally.

“No. You didn’t. Are you feeling alright?”

He felt Jesse nod before he flopped his head onto his shoulder. “Tired. I want to go back up to the castle.”

“We’ll be there soon,” Hanzo said, “Just a little longer.”

 

The diner was empty, much to Hanzo’s relief. It didn’t look like anyone had been there since Blackwatch had cleaned it out. There were still broken chairs, tables, and glasses. The sun had gotten to the interior, bleaching it, and dust coated most of the surfaces. Hanzo found a booth without a table near the back of the diner and laid Jesse down onto the cushion. He sat down on the floor beside him, taking out his wand and creating a patronus to send a message to Jack with. When he was finished he looked over and was surprised to see Jesse was awake once more, watching him.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

He was relieved to hear the clarity in Jesse’s voice again.

“I couldn’t.”

“’course you could have. Jack was calling to you. You have that charm. You stayed even though I wasn’t safe. I could have hurt you or worse. I’ve done it before you know.”

Hanzo scooted a little closer and rested his head on the cushion beside Jesse. Jesse reached over, taking the ends of Hanzo’s hair between his fingers, playing with it absently, and seeming to once again fade out.

“It wasn’t that I couldn’t leave you because there were no options. I just couldn’t bring myself to abandon you, not when I knew there was a way for me to stay by your side.”

“You changed…or was that just in my mind? It’s foggy. I could have sworn though that while I was changing, you were too.”

Hanzo shifted a bit so he could look at Jesse.

“It’s a secret,” he began slowly, “My father wanted to make sure that my brother and I had options should we to escape from a difficult situation. I’m an animagus. Genji’s still learning, but he’s nearly ready to become one as well.”

He could see the way that Jesse processed the information. Whenever he was thinking through something, his eyes would scrunch up ever so slightly, relaxing once he’d either come to terms with the new information or when he had a question in response.

“You turned into a wolf.”

“Correct.”

“You ran with me?”

Hanzo nodded. He was taken aback by the sudden smile that crept onto Jesse’s face and even more surprised when Jesse leaned forward just enough to kiss the top of his head before relaxing once more, mumbling “thank you” as his eyes closed. He wasn’t sure at first if Jesse was asleep or merely resting, but when Jesse’s grip on his hair relaxed he knew it was the prior. Hanzo reached up, brushing Jesse’s hair out of his face.

Why did he care so much about him? It wasn’t like Jesse was his only friend and he liked to think he would do the same for Angela, but he’d known her for years. She’d been the first person at Hogwarts to get him out of his shell and she was one of the few who knew some of the details of his family. Jesse certainly fit into the same category, and yet…there was something more that he couldn’t quite put into words. Was it simply a kinship made from the knowledge that they both had gone through difficult times?

Hanzo looked over at Jesse, studying his calm face. It was always strange to see him relaxed. It used to be that he always wore a scowl or fixed expression. Even when his expression was guarded, there was an underlying tension. As time passed, his scowls had changed to languid grins or laughs that took up his entire face. _I wish I saw that expression more_ , Hanzo thought, although he reflected somewhat ruefully that he was just as guilty of holding similar expressions. Maybe they both had something to learn about taking a moment to relax. At the very least, he wanted both of them to smile more. It had been a rough start to the New Year, that was for certain. _Maybe now that we have Gabe back, once we get home and make sure that Jesse’s healthy too, we can go back to how things were before everything went awry._

Hanzo remained vigilant until he heard the crack of a wizard apparating into the area. He moved to a crouch at the noise, making sure to put himself between Jesse and the door while still maintaining cover. When the door to the diner opened though, he was relieved to see Jack. Jack seemed almost more relieved to see both him and Jesse alive. He lowered his wand and uttered a soft, “thank god” before running over to Hanzo and Jesse, checking both of them over. He immediately swore when he saw the dried blood on Hanzo, but Hanzo quickly cut him off.

“As I have told Jesse, I am fine. I was in another state when he bit me so I was not affected. I would appreciate it though if you heal me now before we leave so I can avoid spreading this information.”

“Another state?” Jack’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded and tapped his wand to the wounds on Hanzo’s arm and shoulder before using another spell to clean off the blood. “I take it you were the only one who got bitten?”

Hanzo nodded, “I kept him contained. He’s just sleeping off the transformation now.”

“Any ill effects from that?” he gestured to Jesse’s new arm.

“None that I saw. It changed with him.”

Jack studied the metal prosthetic for a few minutes, no doubt checking it for any potential curses (that he was aware to look for) before he put his wand away, seeming to determine that it was safe for now.

“Let’s get you two out of here. I’m going to need you to hold on to me since I have to hold Jesse during the apparition, alright?”

Hanzo nodded and grabbed on to Jack’s shoulder while Jack carefully lifted up Jesse, who barely stirred from the motion. He simply moved a little closer to Jack, resting his head on his chest and mumbling something about “five more minutes”. It was such a normal phrase and motion that Hanzo couldn’t help but smile. Everything was going to be ok. It had to be.

 

* * *

 

When Jesse woke up, he was keenly aware of the fact that he was somewhere comfortable—and not just “oh this is a bed” comfortable, but “this is a floating cloud surrounded by the best, fluffiest blankets and pillows” comfortable. For a long while he remained still, not wanting to move and disturb the cocoon of coziness he was surrounded in. It wasn’t until he heard the door open and someone beside him hiss “shhh!” that he opened his eyes.

He wasn’t quite sure where he was. The room was comfortable, but it had a sterile feel to it that made him think he must have been in a healer’s ward of some sort. Looking over towards where he’d heard the hushing come from, he was surprised to see Hanzo was curled up in the small bed beside him, looking startled, but relieved to see him awake.

“Where—?”

“The Woolworth Building,” Hanzo said, sitting up, “How do you feel?”

“Fine but I don’t really want to move. Too comfy.”

Hanzo smirked at him before looking across the room towards the door. Jesse followed his gaze and saw Mr. Shimada and Jack. He jumped, looking from Mr. Shimada to Hanzo, noticing that he when looked towards the prior Jack smirked at him, clearly amused by the situation.

“So…Woolworth is where exactly?” Jesse asked, clearing his throat.

“New York,” Mr. Shimada explained, “I take it you’re recovering, Jesse?”

Recovering? His memory was foggy, at best, but he felt fine physically. As he pondered the question though, bits of memory started to trickle into his mind. He looked to Hanzo, reaching out to touch his shoulder, an unspoken question in his eyes. Hanzo slowly inclined his head as if to once again affirm that he was fine.

“Where’s Gabe?” Jesse asked, turning to Jack and Mr. Shimada once more.

Jack looked away.

“He’s in stable condition,” Mr. Shimada answered, “But he can’t be released until the healers know what exactly O’Deorain did to him and you for that matter.”

“Me?” He looked down at his prosthetic, flexing his hand as he did, “She said she removed the curse and she gave me this—but what did she do to Gabe? When I saw him, he was fading, like he was mist.”

Jack nodded and in a somewhat thick voice said, “Yeah, we saw.”

“There are a few other things we want to check him for based on some past interactions that we’ve had with Talon.”

“What things?” Jesse asked.

“We can’t say,” Jack hesitated, “But while you were asleep we tested you and you seemed fine. They just want to run a few more exams on your arm and then you can return to Hogwarts with Hanzo and Mr. Shimada who has kindly agreed to take you both back home.”

“And Gabe? Can he come back too? Professor Amari and the head nurse can take care of him, right?”

“I’m afraid not, at least, not yet.”

Jesse felt like he was falling. He gripped the bed linens tight, hanging his head.

“This isn’t your fault, kid. He might have been a lot worse if you and Hanzo hadn’t found him,” Jack said, “And don’t start blaming yourself for him being taken to begin with either. Neither of you could have known about Moira O’Deorain.”

Jesse thought back to the strange dream he’d had. Could he have known? _It had to be a dream…I would have remembered meeting her before, right?_

“Can I at least see him before I leave?” Jesse asked.

“They’re only allowing family—“ Mr. Shimada started, but Jesse cut him off.

“I’m family or well, I’m in his custody so that has to count for something, doesn’t it?”

“Actually, your custody’s been shifted.” Jack walked over and sat on the end of the bed, “After everything that happened, it was a fight just to keep you from being taken by the MACUSA. They felt like Gabe didn’t do a good enough job keeping you safe. I tried to take custody, but they said I was just as ah…’corruptive of an influence.”

“Then—?”

“Thankfully,” Jack continued, “Ana was able to convince them that she could take you. She has a daughter of her own after all, is the Head Mistress of Hogwarts, and she assisted with your capture to begin with.”

“Wait, she did?”

Jack smirked, just a bit, and picked up the cowboy hat from the end of the bed, passing it up to Jesse. “Yup. She stormed the diner with Gabe.”

Jesse thought back, his eyes widening, “She stunned me. She was the one who hit me.”

“Which she used as her evidence for why they should put you in her custody so I suggest you don’t try to argue with her or MACUSA on this because she’s got a pretty strong case. If you stay with her, we’ll be able to keep things the same even over the summer since she owns a home.”

Jesse bit his lower lip. It was a lot to take in. He nodded though. It was as they suggested: at least with Ana, he would be able to stay at Hogwarts and presumably, that meant staying close with Gabe once he came home.

“With the logistics settled,” Mr. Shimada cut in, “I would like to have a word alone with Jesse and my son, if that is alright, Mr. Morrison?”

“Of course,” Jack nodded, getting to his feet, “Jesse, I’ll be sure to keep you up to date on Gabe’s condition, ok? He’ll be home before you know it.”

“Thanks, Jack. For everything.”

Jack seemed taken aback by the sincerity in Jesse’s voice, but smiled and inclined his head before leaving the room. Once he was gone, Mr. Shimada looked to the boys.

“You two are not very good at following orders.”

“Our plans changed,” Hanzo stated blandly, “We worked with what we had given the situation.”

Mr. Shimada glared at his son, “Do you know what I have been dealing with since the masquerade? You have put our family at risk.”

He switched to Japanese then, but Jesse could tell from his tone that whatever he was saying wasn’t good.

“Hey! Leave him alone. Hanzo’s right we did what we had to. It’s not our fault that Talon broke the rules. They’re the ones who did something shady, not us. We went in looking to make a deal and they kidnapped us so if they want to come attacking you or Hanzo then let me deal with them because they clearly need to be reminded about integrity. We might—they might be criminals, but that doesn’t mean they can just throw the rules out.”

Mr. Shimada stared at him before smirking, “I see we share similar ideals. While I do appreciate you sticking up for my son and volunteering to “deal with” Talon, this is a matter that is getting out of hand. I may not be happy with how things turned out, but some good has come of this. I have allies who won’t be pleased by the turn of events as well, which may help us in the long run.”

Jesse glared at him in an embarrassed sort of way, “You could have just interrupted me then before I gave a speech.”

“I was curious to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

“I agree,” Hanzo said with a grin, “It was most enlightening.”

There was a knock at the door and a healer came in, asking to have a moment with Jesse so they could run some tests. Mr. Shimada agreed before looking to Hanzo, asking him to come with him. Jesse watched them leave, a sinking feeling in his stomach. For all of their smiles, he was still in the dark. The brief conversation hadn’t exactly started out the friendliest. He hoped that whatever it was being discussed, it simply had to do with coming up with a plan against Talon, one that Mr. Shimada wanted to keep within his family for the sake of protecting them. Jesse could understand that.

 

The tests went without any trouble and before the day was out, Jesse was taking a portkey with Hanzo and Mr. Shimada back to Hogsmeade and from there, they were dropped off at Hogwarts. Hanzo was quiet for the majority of the trip, seemingly lost in thought. Even on the walk alone through the school to their respective dorms, he said nothing. Jesse was in a similar state. His thoughts kept going back to Gabe. He hadn’t been allowed to see him regardless of his protests. The only word he had on his condition was from Jack and who knew how often he would contact him about it. Despite what Jack had said, Jesse still felt like a failure in a lot of regards. He’d brought a lot of trouble to himself and those around him since coming into their lives. He didn’t really believe in bad luck, but he was starting to wonder if maybe he was cursed beyond being a werewolf. There had to be a reason for everything that kept happening.

“Jesse?”

He looked up, “Hmm?”

“Your dorm is that way, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Jesse looked towards the Grand Staircase, “Guess I should go. Professor Amari’s supposed to be checking on me more often now. Some new regulation thing.”

“No more late night astronomy tower trips then?”

Jesse shrugged, trying to hide the hope in his voice, “Maybe just one more? It’s not too late at night.”

“It’s 3am Jesse.”

“What? But it was just 10—“

“Time change.”

“Oh…yeah.”

“We still have a few months before the term ends. I’m sure we can find the time to go to the tower at some point after you’ve informed professor Amari about your habit.”

Hanzo reached out and drew Jesse into a tight embrace. He held on for a long time before finally letting go.

“I’ll see you around.”


	28. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse deals with the aftermath of his trip to America. Hanzo needs help with his own problems.

It was nearly a month before Jesse heard anything about Gabe’s condition. It wasn’t much; just a simple message from Jack that Gabriel had finally woken up. The letter said nothing about his condition or what Moira may have done to him. He’d been relieved to hear that Gabe had woken up, but a bitter, darker part of him that he tried to keep shoved down was angry—angry that no one kept him in the loop or told him what was going on. Since his recovery and return to Hogwarts, he’d been left in a state of purgatory. Ana Amari, his new guardian, refused to tell him anything about Talon or the Deadlock Gang. When he asked about Gabe, she simply said he was stabilizing and in good hands. She never elaborated, no matter how much he asked, claiming that she didn’t have any more information than he did.

Trying to talk to Hanzo was just as difficult. Hanzo alleged that he was holed up in his dorm studying with the other Ravenclaws in preparation for the exams in June (it was only February). Jesse barely saw him outside of class. Angela was busy with extra lessons now with the head nurse so she couldn’t confirm or deny Hanzo’s claims. When Jesse asked Genji about it, he just laughed and said that sounded like Hanzo. It didn’t really make Jesse feel any better.

There was a lot that Jesse couldn’t get out of his mind: Moira, her work, the dream he had while in captivity, Gabe’s condition and what Moira did to him, and then there was his transformation in the desert with Hanzo. There were too many threads of thought competing in his head and no one he could talk to about it because he’d been told to keep it all a secret by Ana (otherwise he would have confided in Genji or Angela at this point). He’d tried to talk to Ana about some of it, but she was stressed enough trying to fill not one, but two classes with substitute professors.

In the end, he’d decided to simply keep himself busy rather than dwelling on it. That’s what he’d done in the past and it had worked for him so far. He buried himself in his work, although he was a rare sight in most of his classes much to his new guardian’s distress. She constantly scolded him for skipping classes, but nevertheless he continued to do so in favor of studying on his own. He found secluded areas in the library or when the weather permitted it he bundled up and studied on the grounds near the lake. It was easier that way. No one asked ­ _him_ then about his new arm (thankfully magical prosthetics weren’t uncommon in the wizarding world) when he tried to relearn how to cast spells with his left hand.

He should have been happy to have his new arm and he was, but it was also a constant reminder of what had happened and worse, what could have happened. Every time he looked down at the new limb doubt began to worm its way into his gut and he started to wonder more about the Moira, which inevitably made him think about the whole damn thing all over again.

It was a new day though. He’d finally received word about Gabe. Sitting out by the lake, he tried to force himself to sigh with relief while he read the message; to smile. His owl Teuza helped with the latter aspect. She preened his hair while he read the letter before nipping his ear, reminding him that she wanted some attention too for her work in bringing him the letter. Jesse complied, stroking her soft feathers.

“I thought I would find you out here.”

Jesse didn’t look back, but he knew who it was.

“Professor Amari.”

“I assume you heard about Gabriel?” She came to stand beside him, looking out over the lake as well.

“Yeah. Jack said he woke up.”

“May I see the letter?”

Jesse passed it up without comment. After a moment he heard Ana give a small huff of what may have been annoyance before she handed it back.

“Really Jack could have given you more details than this.”

He perked up at this, looking over at Ana.

“He’s conscious and has apparently stabilized. The healers don’t really know what was done to him still, but they think that whatever it was didn’t have enough time to integrate. The effects are dissipating and they suspect that with time he’ll be completely recovered.” Ana paused, “He asked about you—or rather asked Jack to find out how you’re doing. That puts me in a difficult situation, doesn’t it?”

“Not really. I’m doing fine.”

“You’ve missed almost half of your classes in the past month.”

“So? I’m working through the fourth and fifth year spellbooks now. It makes sense for me to study on my own.”

“You’re neglecting your current term spells though and if I’m not mistaken, avoiding your friends.”

Jesse stiffened. “Avoiding? Hardly. They’re usually busy. I just haven’t had a good chance to see them.”

“Class is a good chance to see them. If I’m not mistaken, two of the classes you’ve been skipping are potions and transfiguration, classes you usually have with Angela and Hanzo? I also noticed you’re skipping Defense Against the Dark Arts—Gabriel’s class. Jesse, you know I have to report all of this not just to Gabriel, but to the Ministry and MACUSA, right? It won’t look good to them if you’re missing too many classes especially after you spent time alone with active Talon members.”

“What? They don’t think I’m suddenly brainwashed again do they? I’m not going back to Deadlock or Talon or any of them!”

“I know that, but they have concerns. They don’t know you the way we do here. To them, you’re still the boy we brought in from the diner—the boy who took out numerous aurors and knowingly committed crimes for a criminal organization.”

Jesse let out a heavy sigh, “I know…I just…never mind. I’ll be in class tomorrow.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?”

Jesse hesitated, then shook his head, “No, there’s nothing.”

Ana was quiet for a long moment but eventually said, “I see. Well in that case, I have something I want to talk to you about. I’m sure you’ve kept track of the days?”

In all honesty he hadn’t but the moment she said it he knew what was coming.

“The Ministry wants you to be accompanied during your first transformation with your new prosthetic. I’ll be with you along with Jack if he returns in time.”

That made Jesse perk up, “Does that mean Gabe’s coming back soon too?”

“He’s being moved to St. Mungo’s so he’ll be closer while he finishes recovering and Jack can return to his classes.”

Jesse felt his shoulders slump once again, “Oh. I mean, that makes sense. He just woke up so…”

“Well, if you don’t have anything else on your mind, then that’s that. I’ll be by the dorm later with your potion.”

“See you then.”

If he expected Ana to say more he was quickly disappointed. He briefly turned to watch her as she headed back up to the castle before looking back to the lake.

 

Over the next week he met with Ana daily. He didn’t keep his word about attending classes though and despite her comment every time he saw her, he didn’t start going. Even when he received word that Jack would be coming back the day before the March 1st full moon he didn’t start going back to class. As a consequence, he also didn’t see Angela or Hanzo at all, even in the Great Hall.

It wasn’t until the day of the full moon that he finally found Hanzo asleep at the Ravenclaw table, his elbow in his porridge. Jesse grabbed his plate and went to sit down next to him. Hanzo didn’t move until he lightly shook him. Hanzo startled to awareness, looking uncomprehendingly over at Jesse before his eyes went down to the porridge bowl that his elbow was resting in.

“Oh…”

“You ok there, Han? You seem a little…out of it.”

There were dark circles under his eyes. His hair was messily tied back in a way that made Jesse wonder if Hanzo had taken the time to brush it before tugging it all into a loose bun. Hanzo took his elbow out of the porridge and waved his wand over the mess, cleaning it up.

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

“You’re allowed to take a break from studying you know.”

“I do take breaks when I go to class.”

“I mean actual breaks. You know, to rest?”

Hanzo grumbled something and looked away. Jesse pursed his lips before grabbing Hanzo’s arm, gently pulling him up from the table.

“What are you doing? Let me go I don’t have time for this.”

“Well I’m forcing you to make time. Come on.”

Hanzo didn’t put up too much resistance despite his griping. Jesse grabbed some of the pastries from the table, wrapping them up in napkins before taking Hanzo’s arm again and leading him out of the Great Hall and up to the Astronomy Tower.

“Sit.”

“Jesse I really don’t have time for this. If I don’t get perfect marks on our exams—“

“You can’t do anything if you’re exhausted and stressed. You’re going to sit here, eat breakfast, and then you’re going to go take a nap until lunch.”

“I have class though! I can’t just—“

“Hanzo you look like shit! Have you even taken a shower recently?”

Hanzo bristled at that, “Excuse me? Of course I have!”

“When?”

“It was. . .” He fell silent.

“Ok, so you’re going to eat, shower, and then nap. I’ll talk with the head of your house so they know what’s up.”

Hanzo nodded slowly and finally sat down. Jesse moved to sit beside him and unwrapped the pastries he’d grabbed earlier, pushing them towards Hanzo. His own stomach was its usual, pre-transformation queasy mess. Hanzo didn’t seem to notice the way his nose wrinkled slightly at the smell of the pastries. His gaze was distant, staring out across the grounds while he picked up a pastry and bit into it.

“So you want to tell me what’s up? It’s not like you to go on a bender like this.”

“I’m not on a bender.”

“Something’s wrong though. I can tell. You’re usually pretty chill.”

“I just need to make sure my marks are perfect this year. Better than perfect.”

“This year? Aren’t you usually one of the top students? Why’s this year any different?”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do Jesse, but please. Not right now. It’s complicated.”

“Something to do with that conversation you had with your dad?” Jesse persisted.

“Something like that,” Hanzo said after a moment’s pause, “I would appreciate it though if you didn’t bring this up to Genji.”

“Bring what up? That you haven’t been sleeping or apparently showering?”

Hanzo said nothing. He sat down his pastry and rested his head on his knee, letting out a heavy sigh. Jesse scooted a bit closer to him and hesitated before putting his arm over his shoulders. Hanzo stiffened before relaxing into Jesse’s chest, allowing his head to rest on his shoulder.

“I have to prove to my father that it is worth it for me to continue receiving my education from here. After this year, he started to question the legitimacy of the school and since my grades have slipped…I have to catch up and make sure that my marks are perfect. If I don’t, Genji and I will be pulled from the school and I can’t let that happen to Genji. Plus…I don’t want to lose my friends here.”

“Have you told Professor Amari? I’m sure she’ll help you if you explain the situation.”

“I don’t need a handout.”

“I think someone once explained to me that it’s ok to ask for help,” Jesse smirked, “Besides, knowing her she’d still make you work for your grades. She’d just come up with some better options that won’t run you completely ragged.”

Hanzo sighed, “You may be right.”

“Do you want me to ask for you? I have to see her tonight anyway.”

“Why do you have to—oh it’s _tonight_ isn’t it? Jesse I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize. Did you want me to come with you? I know Reyes isn’t back yet.”

Jesse shook his head, “I can handle it. Right now I just want you to rest. You haven’t given yourself a break since that we got back from America.”

“Are you sure?”

“Completely. Now come on. Finish your breakfast, then go get a shower. After that I’m marching you right up to the Ravenclaw dorms to make sure you actually rest—oh and I’m confiscating your textbooks until lunch. Give me your bag.”

“What? You can’t take my—“

“Watch me.”

They stayed out on top of the tower until Hanzo finished eating. True to his word, Jesse took his bag and escorted him to the prefect bathroom. He waited outside for Hanzo to finish, doing his own studying while he waited. Once Hanzo came out, looking refreshed with his hair tied back in a loose braid, Jesse stay with him all the way to the Ravenclaw dorm, making sure that he was inside before heading to the Gryffindor dormitory. He wrote a quick message to Professor Amari, letting her know that Hanzo was “dead on his feet” and wouldn’t be attending classes that morning. He sent the message off with his owl. He figured this way would be faster than trying to search around the castle for Professor Amari or worse, interrupting her during class.

With that done, Jesse flopped down onto his bed, deciding to take a nap too. His bones were starting to ache and while he was happy he’d finally had a chance to talk with Hanzo, the conversation left him disconcerted. When he fell asleep he had nightmares about Mr. Shimada keeping him away from Hanzo, always for different reasons. Every time though Hanzo was in trouble and he was unable to go to him or help. Professor Reinhardt came into the dorm at one point while he was sleeping to give him his final dose of the wolfsbane potion.

When he woke up again it was about an hour before sundown (which was far later than he’d intended). At first he wasn’t sure what woke him up until he saw the door to the dormitory opening. He was surprised to see Jack Morrison tip toeing into the room, heading over towards his bed.

“I was coming to wake you…” he said hesitantly when he realized Jesse was awake, “I didn’t want to startle you though.”

Jesse yawned and sat up, “Probably smart. How’s Gabe?”

“Settling in,” Jack said stiffly, “You ready to go?”

Jesse got to his feet and nodded. He left his wand behind on his bedside table. He looked over to the bag left behind on the floor and swore lightly. He’d forgotten to give Hanzo his bag back since he’d slept so late. Jack arched an eyebrow, looking at the bag as well.

“Dare I ask why you have that?”

“Long story. Would you mind taking it to him? I would but I’ve got about…” Jesse checked his watch, “Forty minutes.”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, but Jesse could see he had a subtle smile. “I’ll handle it. Go on, I’ll see you in a bit.

Jesse handed the bag off to Jack before heading down to the whomping willow, where he was met by Professor Amari. She wasn’t wearing her usual robes, but rather a pair of dark tight-fitting pants and a hoodie. At his look, she explained that if she was going to have to sit in a dusty old house all night she wanted to be comfortable. Jesse noticed she also had a backpack slung over her shoulder. He was glad to see that she didn’t seem to be overacting or worrying about his transformation. Then again, Professor Amari always seemed calm.

“I received your message earlier about Hanzo,” Professor Amari commented before freezing the tree and waving Jesse in, “You were a little vague although I have noticed a shift in his attitude since he returned from America.”

“I can’t really give any details…just…he’s running himself ragged trying to study. Maybe just let him know he’s doing well? He _is_ doing well, right?”

“You know I can’t discuss another student’s grades with you. I’ll see what I can do though to ease his mind.”

The two were just settling into the shack when Jack arrived. He was a little red in the face and Jesse figured he must have run down after dropping off Hanzo’s bag.

“Everything set then?” he asked, looking to Jesse and Professor Amari.

“Just like always,” Jesse said, sitting down cross-legged on the floor, “It’ll be a pretty boring night for you two. I hope you brought some books or something else to do in that bag of yours.”

Professor Amari smirked, “Some papers I need to grade and a bit of knitting, yes.”

“Wait, you’re not worried?” Jack asked, looking a little stunned, “But you insisted I be here because you want back up in case that arm does turn out to have some hidden curse.”

Jesse flexed his hand, “Hasn’t acted weird yet and the healers all said it looked fine back when they tested it. The weirdest part about the thing is that I don’t really feel things the same way anymore. It’s more like a second-hand knowledge rather than actual touch.”

“I wanted you here for that, yes, but I also wanted you here since you’ve been with Jesse before during a transformation. I wanted him to have someone he trusted around.”

Jack looked away almost sheepishly.

“I trust both of you…but I appreciate it. After the last time I…” he trailed off, looking down at some old claw marks on the floor.

Professor Amari came to crouch in front of him, putting her hand on his head, “They're not going to find you here again and you didn’t mean to transform without a potion this last moon. That was entirely Talon’s fault and nothing bad happened despite their best efforts. You have nothing to be upset about.”

“I know,” Jesse said hurriedly, “I just…I guess that since it was the first time I transformed without a potion since coming to Hogwarts I just never really realized how…”

“Scary it was?” Professor Amari offered.

He nodded, “I could have killed Hanzo or turned him into a monster. I worried about that before of course, but I guess it all sort of sunk in once I changed back and the first thing I really saw was Hanzo bleeding.”

“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again. For now, let’s focus on your present transformation. I’ll be taking notes while you change if that’s ok?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will be.” Professor Amari stood up again and peeked out the window, “About time.”

Jesse rolled his head and shoulders, stretching a bit. He felt less anxious than he had in the past about his transformation. Maybe it was the fact that his head was filled up with other worries, but the idea of the full moon simply didn’t bother him this month. Sure, it would still hurt like it usually did, but that was just a fact of life. He’d had his potion. He’d be safe to be around. Hell, it would probably be a boring night.

As the light from the moon trickled into the room, Jesse took a deep breath, letting the sudden jolt of pain wash over him. He grit his teeth, nodding when Jack asked if he was changing. He blinked—

 

_—she had her back turned to him. Maximilien spoke to her, glancing over her shoulder every so often to give him a reassuring smile before returning his attention to the tall woman. Jesse had never seen her before, but if Mr. Talon trusted her then he did too. Jesse looked down at the floor, trying not to show that he was listening. Mr. Talon didn’t mind if he listened, but he never wanted him to be obvious about it._

_“Are you sure?”_

_“I think that your most recent work is what I’ve been looking for.”_

_“I see. Well, I’ve been looking for more willing volunteers. I trust that he’s a good candidate?”_

_“Of course and if you succeed I have a few others in mind as well.”_

_“Excellent. I’ll see what I can do then. The state of him though.”_

_“You always say you enjoy a challenge, don’t you? Succeed with him and the others will be simple.”_

_After a pause in the conversation he looked up and saw two mismatch eyes looking thoughtfully at him. She raised her hand—_

 

—and found that he was staring up at the ceiling. Jesse groaned, wincing at the exhaustion that gripped him and the latent aches that usually came post-transformation. That wasn’t right though. He’d only just started shifting. How had he ended up on the floor? He blinked and tried to sit up only to find that he couldn’t move. Just as he started to panic, Professor Amari’s face came into his vision. She looked pale and exhausted, worry clear on her face.

“Jesse?”

“What the hell’s going on?” his voice was raw. Something wasn’t right.

“Jack, release the bindings I need to check on him.”

“You sure you want to do that?”

He could hear the fatigue in Jack’s voice. It was husky and quiet.

“Yes I’m sure! The sun’s been up for an hour he’s safe.”

 _‘He’s safe’_. The words rang in his ears. Jesse didn’t move even after he felt the pressure lift from his chest and limbs.

“What happened? Professor Amari, Jack, what’s going on?”

Professor Amari helped him to sit up, taking his pulse as he did. She checked his vitals with a few spells, muttering to herself. He heard a quill scratching in the distance and suspected that she had a note-taking spell active.

“I need you to tell me the last thing you remember,” Professor Amari said in an even tone.

“I was changing and then I just woke up on the floor.”

“You took your potion last night, right? Same time as you always do?”

“What? Of course I did! Professor Reinhardt brought it to me!”

“You had it all?”

Jesse rested his head on his knee, a headache pounding in his temples, “Yes. Just like usual. Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?”

“About halfway through your transformation you seemed to lose yourself,” Jack explained, coming over to sit with him and Professor Amari, “You wouldn’t respond to us at all.”

The color drained from Jesse’s face, “I…what? I didn’t…I don’t…?”

“It’s ok. Jesse, it’s ok. If O’Deorain did anything to you we’ll find out.”

Jesse shook his head, “No, no it’s not ok! None of this has been ok! First Gabe, now whatever this is? No!”

“Jesse.”

Jack’s tone made him startle. He looked up, fighting down the panic that was building in him. He was so tired. Tired of everyone around him being hurt. Tired of stumbling into trouble and causing everyone else problems. Every time he started to adapt and started to think that maybe, just maybe, he could start to have a normal life, something happened. He was cursed—cursed because of his actions with the Deadlock Gang. Cursed because he bit people in the past. No matter what anyone said, it didn’t matter that he’d started to change or that he was adjusting to his new life. Nothing would wash the blood from his hands and now he was dragging down everyone else with him.

“Hey, look at me.” Jack put his hand gently under Jesse’s chin, trying to get him to focus. “It _is_ going to be ok. You didn’t attack anyone when you changed. That’s a good sign. For all we know, O’Deorain was trying to cure your lycanthropy. So let’s not think about worse case stuff, alright? Come on, let’s get you back up to the castle and cleaned up. You want to check on Hanzo, right?”

Jesse knew what Jack was doing. He was trying to placate and distract him. Unfortunately, it worked. Jesse nodded slowly, trying to bite down the unsettling feeling that rolled through his stomach. He didn’t protest when Jack wrapped him in an oversized cloak, picking him up into his arms or when Professor Amari spoke, agreeing with Jack and suggesting new plans of action. Somehow it was easier to just let himself be lulled by their words than to think about O’Deorain and the troubling sense that he’d dealt with her before this year.


	29. Choices

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, looking down at the report. Ana sat down on the desk beside him looking grim as she flipped through her own papers. Three hours ago they carried Jesse to the hospital wing, plied him with a sleeping potion, reviewed his condition, checked his old case files, and looked through every reference material available in the library on lycanthropy. They found nothing helpful. The spells used to test his condition came back empty, the library taught them nothing new, and the old case files were just that—old files.

Jack couldn’t get past what had occurred though; couldn’t get the image out of his head. He’d practically seen the exact moment where Jesse’s mind left, the light in his warm brown eyes seeming to disappear, leaving behind a cool, indifferent stare. He hadn’t attacked or done anything at first. The werewolf—no, Jesse—had simply laid there on the ground, staring off at nothing. Then it was like a switch had flipped and he moved, rushing for the door. He never attacked or snapped at them when they restrained him. His behavior, however, grew increasingly strange at that point. He’d become agitated every so often, pulling against his bonds until he’d rubbed the skin raw, but after a few hours of that he once again became strangely docile. It just didn’t make sense.

“His behavior wasn’t strictly instinct driven,” Ana commented, flipping through her notes, “So it wasn’t that the potion was faulty.”

“You’re certain?”

Ana gave him a look, “Have I ever botched a potion?”

“Well then how do you explain what happened to him?”

Ana pursed her lips and leaned back, looking up in thought. “This is the first time this has happened, correct?”

“That we’re aware of. I’ve only seen him change once. When I asked Hanzo about his last transformation he said it was like any other werewolf’s change. He ran on pure instinct and while still intelligent, his humanity was gone. This time though it was like there was nothing or like…”

He didn’t want to say it, but Ana finished for him, “Like he was waiting for a command.”

“So…he’s the one the other Deadlock members were referring to during the interrogations.”

“I always suspected,” Ana said quietly, “Gabriel too. We kept quiet though for his sake. We’d hoped that perhaps they were talking about someone else. After all, he never mentioned anyone resembling O’Deorain.”

Ana hung her head wearily and set the papers down. She held out her hand for the ones in Jack’s hand.

“It would explain why they’re so desperate to get him back despite the fact he’s clearly changed,” Jack mumbled.

“I should have said something. If I had, maybe he wouldn’t have gone through so much pain this year. Maybe he wouldn’t have been taken and Gabriel would be…”

“You wanted him to have a normal life, it makes sense. I don’t blame you for not bringing up your theories to the Ministry and I know Gabe wouldn’t blame you either.” Jack sat the report down onto the desk and shut his eyes. “What now?”

“We can’t tell the Ministry what happened. They’ll take Jesse away if we do.”

“And Gabe would never forgive me if that happened,” Jack said, opening his eyes, “But what other choice do we have? Do you think this is something in your power to fix?”

“Perhaps. I’ll need to observe him more. I need to figure out what I’m looking at before I can do anything. It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to get any of O’Deorain’s notes.”

“The warehouse was completely scrubbed by the time I got back. You couldn’t even find a drop of blood on the floor let alone her notes.” Jack paused. “Are we doing the right thing? Is this really what’s best for him you think?”

“Yes,” Ana replied without hesitation, “The Ministry wouldn’t treat him like a child let alone a human. He’d just be another criminal at best and an experiment at worst.”

Jack nodded and got to his feet, “Then we have no choice. We’ll fix this ourselves. How’s Ziegler coming along with her training?”

“She’ll be able to help next year, but we’ll have to be subtle. I already don’t like that the Shimada brothers know about Jesse’s condition. The more people who know, the more chances that it’ll get out to the other students and their parents.”

"If she can help then that's good. We need fresh eyes. It'll be easy enough to keep all of the information from her for a while."

"She's not stupid." Ana stood up, picking up the files and stacking them together before passing them over to Jack. "Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't already know."

"Even if she does figure it out I don't think she'd say anything. Regardless, there's nothing more we can do right now. I have to go pick up Gabe."

"Give him my love. I'll make sure to let Jesse know that he's out of St. Mungus's."

Jack nodded and put most of the files into his bag before heading out. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed down the hall, looking down at the file in his hand while he walked. Jesse's file--the one he'd stared at so often, the one that Gabe constantly told him to put away and wait for Jesse to talk to him about rather than reading it himself. Gabe wasn't well though and right now, Jesse needed help. Jack wanted to think that Gabe would forgive him for looking knowing his reasoning. Right now, Jack needed as much information as possible on Jesse, even if it meant dragging up things that everyone else wanted to bury in hopes of giving him a new life.

He flipped past the first page and started to read his criminal record. Like the Hogwarts registry on the first page, it included basic information about him such as his name, age, and unknown life factors such as his date of birth, place of birth, and parentage. There was also a photo of Jesse from when he'd first been captured. This version of Jesse had hollow eyes and a scowl. He kept trying to walk out of the frame, but the borders kept him from leaving so he just glared out of the picture.

"You've really changed a lot..." Jack mumbled, flipping the page.

The next page stapled to it featured a transcript of the interrogation between Gabe and him along with his confession. It was the confession and list of accused crimes that Jack wanted to see.

He felt a chill run through him and paused, realizing that his hand was shaking. The school around him seemed far away.

 

_Under the effects of the truth serum, Jesse McCree has admitted to aiding in a total of twelve heists (see Appendix C for full details), which resulted in a loss of over 900,000 galleons and the theft of multiple cursed and experimental artifacts, many of which are linked to recent crimes against both wizards and muggles. It should be noted that it is confirmed that Jesse McCree was a high-ranking member who played a key role in crafting the plays and attacks._

. . .

_Based on the confessions of other Deadlock members (see Paul Watts, Wesley Cain, and Brady Mathews' files for full confessions) he has been complicit three attacks on MACUSA aurors. He helped to specifically orchestrate the attacks on Megan Hibbs and Astra Adams, which resulted in the capture of Adams in particular (location still unknown). Watts suggested that McCree was acting out of a desire to survive and often sought to mitigate the damage and loss of life that their heists caused while Cain and Brady both attest that he actively pursued jobs in order to satisfy “Mr. Talon”. Mason Reed’s testament suggests that both stories are truthful to a degree._

_Deadlock records also indicate that he is the direct cause of the deaths of three muggles due to passing the lycanthropy curse onto them through a bite._

_While it appears his crimes weren’t willful, this doesn’t dismiss them, especially given the severity and loss of life._

_However, auror Gabriel Reyes along with the seer Mondatta both believe that Jesse McCree can be rehabilitated. Mondatta has also confirmed that despite McCree’s confessions and the testimonies of others, there may have been other factors forcing his actions although he has been unable to give us direct answers beyond the influence of other wizards._

_…_

_After it was confirmed that Jesse McCree had no knowledge of the wizarding world prior to his conversation with Gabriel Reyes, we have decided to put him on probation given that the following conditions are met:_

  1. _He will be under the custody and surveillance of an auror at all times._
  2. _He will cease all contact with the Deadlock Gang’s past and current members._
  3. _His memory will be altered and/or removed in order to facilitate his recovery and rehabilitation. Removed memories will be stored for further analysis._



_If he maintains a clean record by the time of his graduation from Hogwarts, his record will be forgiven._

 

Jack stared down at the paper until the words started to blur. This was what Gabriel hadn’t wanted him to see. He’d known that the kid was high up in the Deadlock Gang, but some part of him had hoped that maybe that was just for his strategic mind. He’d always suspected the worst though—hell, he’d expected it. It was half the reason why he’d been so keen to distrust Jesse when Gabe first showed up with him.

There were just too many unknown factors regarding Jesse McCree. He wanted to trust Jesse, but knowing what he’d done in the past once again put him on edge. It didn’t matter that Jesse seemed to be doing better. He wasn’t _really_ Jesse McCree, not without all of his memories. Who was to say that Jesse wouldn’t revert back to his old ways if he got his memories back? Then there was the matter of the other unknown factors. Who were his parents? Where exactly had he come from? For all Jack knew, Jesse was a sleeper agent and the events of the past few months had all been part of Deadlock and by extension, Talon's plan.

“Oh, Professor Morrison. Good, I was looking for you.”

Jack looked up with a start to find Hanzo heading down the hall towards him. He quickly closed the file and stuffed it away in his bag, trying not to look too guilty or worried.

“What is it, Mr. Shimada?”

Hanzo checked that no one else was around before quietly asking, “Where’s Jesse? Genji said he didn’t come back to the dorm this morning and I wasn’t allowed into the hospital wing. Is he ok?”

“He’s fine,” Jack lied, “But it wore him out like it usually does. Was there a particular reason you were looking for him?”

Hanzo looked away, “I ah…well…I guess I can ask you.”

Jack arched an eyebrow.

“His birthday is coming up but I don’t know how he feels about celebrating. I was hoping to gage out what his reaction might be.”

“Birthday?” Jack frowned, “You know his birthday?”

“I heard that it was coming up, but I’m not sure of the exact date. Why?”

 _Because it’s not in his file_ , Jack thought. “It’s not something he’s ever talked about around me.”

Hanzo considered this, “Maybe it isn’t a good idea to celebrate it then.”

“No,” Jack said suddenly, “Why don’t you see if you can figure out when his birthday is and throw him a party? I think he could use it.” _And I can see if I can fill in some of the blanks about his past…_

 

 

* * *

Jesse frowned at the question, “What?”

“Your birthday, it’s coming up, right?”

Jesse watched Hanzo. He hadn’t looked up from his essay since he’d asked the question. He was looking better at least. Jesse had noticed a distinct change in Hanzo over the past few days since his conversation with Jack and Ana. He’d lost some of the dark circles under his eyes and he’d taken the time to carefully tie his hair back. He seemed more in control; less likely to suddenly combust.

“Yours is during the fall, right?”

“November, but that’s beside the point.”

“Not really. You didn’t make a big deal about yours so I don’t see why mine’s—“

“I’m just asking when it is.”

Jesse looked away, “Do birthdays mean a lot to you?”

“Not particularly. Genji enjoys them though so I make an effort to ensure that he has a good celebration every year. If you’re worried that I’m upset that my birthday wasn’t celebrated, don’t be.”

“It’s sort of like the holidays, alright? I never celebrated it. It was just a date that I knew and it meant that I was another year closer to being out of the system.”

When Hanzo didn’t reply, Jesse looked back only to see him staring at him, waiting expectantly.

“March 9th. I don’t know if it’s my real birthday, but it’s the day that I remember.”

“Wait, seriously? You’re not just saying that to get me off your back?”

“I don’t lie to you.” Jesse felt his cheeks darken, “So yeah…the 9th.”

“Tomorrow?”

Jesse shrugged, “Like I said, it’s just a day.”

Hanzo looked down at his essay, then rolled up the parchment.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve got something I have to do.”

“Hanzo wait—seriously, don’t make a big deal about this!”

Hanzo gave him a mischievous smirk, “Of course. I’ll see you later…”

Jesse watched Hanzo go, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He hadn’t celebrated his birthday since he was small, back when he believed that birthdays had the potential to be magical and anything could happen on them. He learned though that birthdays weren’t any different from other days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was a bit lackluster, but it's been a rough few weeks with moving/being sick.


	30. Seventeen Candles

Jesse knew damn well what was going to happen today. Staring up at the canopy over his bed, he could practically feel the tension coming from the common room. Since Hanzo had brought up his birthday the previous day, Jesse had found that not only were most of his friends unavailable but the professors as well. He was a naturally suspicious person, but this was too obvious. He was tempted to stay in bed to avoid the whole ordeal, but remembering Hanzo’s smirk made him get up out of bed. He got dressed in his uniform (it was a Friday after all) even though he fully intended to skip class today to go study alone.

Birthdays didn’t mean a lot to him. They were days—simple as that. They might have meant something if he’d had a family, like a mom or a dad, but he’d never heard the words “happy birthday, son”. The closest he got to a happy birthday was “one year closer to 21!” from the guys back with the Deadlock Gang. He shoved down the memory, feeling his stomach roll. It was too complicated to think about. He could still see the cake they’d tried to bake for him: globed on red frosting with fifteen gold candles shoved into the top, some of them spilling off the side because the cake had been shaved down to the size of a phone since it had split apart and crumpled when they’d tried to move it. It’d tasted like chocolate and bourbon.

Jesse dug the palms of his hands into his eyes. _Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it._ He repeated the mantra over and over before taking a deep breath and standing up, heading towards the door and down to the common room.

To his surprise, the common room was empty other than a few stragglers from other years. He felt a small knot of tension ease before he realized that since he had friends in multiple houses, he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He debated skipping breakfast, but his stomach grumbled in protest to the idea so he steeled himself and headed to the Great Hall, again fully expecting to find his friends had created some rambunctious surprise for him.

It was a normal Friday in the Great Hall though. Students were sleeping over breakfast, cramming for tests, finishing last minute essays, and talking to friends in other houses. He saw Hanzo and Angela in deep discussion over at the Ravenclaw table, both of them pointing to a book and seeming to argue about some issue in it. Genji and Lena seemed to be racing to see who could finish their pancakes first and Fareeha was talking to her mom up at the front of the hall. Jesse walked somewhat cautiously to his usual spot at the Gryffindor table and sat down. No one stopped him. No one said anything. He let out a pent-up breath and started grabbing food, filling his plate. Maybe today would be a normal day…

 

As his day progressed, Jesse only skipped one class (Transfiguration). He saw Hanzo in a few classes, but he never brought up his birthday or made any sort of coy comment to suggest that he knew what day it was. Jesse thought he’d feel relieved, but there was some nagging feeling he couldn’t quite place in the back of his mind. It didn’t make sense. He’d wanted Hanzo to ignore his birthday and clearly, Hanzo was honoring that wish despite the look he’d given him yesterday. So why was he feeling a little, tiny bit sad?

“You think you’re ready for the end of year exams?” Hanzo asked, peering over at Jesse’s parchment, “You got that one wrong by the way.”

“Hmm? Yeah, I should be fine. I’ve never failed something that was important.”

“You say that and yet I noticed you weren’t in Transfiguration earlier. We had a pop quiz.”

Jesse groaned, “Shit…Jack won’t let me make it up either.”

“Actually, he told me that if I saw you in class that you should meet him before dinner in his classroom. He’ll give you a chance to take the quiz. Not that he should have said anything, but he insinuated that you need the points if you want to pass his class.”

He really didn’t want to go, especially since he knew Jack would probably chew him out for skipping, but Hanzo was right. He couldn’t afford to lose the points.

So when class ended, Jesse packed his Transfiguration book in his bag and headed to Jack’s classroom, dread gnawing at him. He’d promised to try harder, but seeing Jack made him think about Gabe. He hadn’t heard anything about him since the last update about a week ago. Whenever Jesse tried to talk to Jack about it, he hushed him up, saying that it wasn’t something to be discussed where other students would hear. It made him feel like Jack was trying to separate them. He supposed that was fair though. Jack loved Gabe and ever since Jesse had come into his life, Gabe had had nothing but trouble. It would make sense that Jack would want to put some distance between them, especially while Gabe was trying to recover. It still hurt though and it made both his class and Defense Against the Dark Arts even more difficult. He thought he’d done well keeping up in them though by hearing second hand what spells were discussed during class and then practicing them on his own.

Jesse knocked before opening the door to Jack’s classroom. There was a loud chorus of “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” that left his ears ringing and drowned out his surprised curse. The room was filled with all of his friends (and a few surprise friends like Sombra) and a few professors. Hanzo stood at the forefront, looking smug at Jesse’s startled face. The classroom was decorated like any other birthday party he’d seen on TV, but what stood out to him was the ceiling. It had been enchanted to look like the night sky from his home out in the desert. He’d know that sky anywhere. The constellations, the openness with the occasional small, dark clouds high overhead. He could practically smell the night air.

“I told you I don’t celebrate birthdays,” Jesse said with an exasperated mock glare that made Hanzo grin all the wider.

“Yeah,” came a voice from behind him, “But you didn’t do a lot of things before you came here.”

Jesse’s breath caught. He turned slowly, not quite daring to believe, not wanting to have his hopes dashed.

Standing behind him was Gabriel Reyes. He smiled broadly at Jesse, an expression that took years off of his weary face. He looked down at Jesse, expression going stern.

“I heard you’ve been skipping classes.” He paused, then shrugged, “I guess we can excuse it for today though since it’s your birthday and all.”

Jesse lunged for him and wrapped his arms as tight as he could around him. He felt solid as ever; warm and present. He felt his throat catch and he had to take a few shaky breaths to regain control. Gabe returned embrace with just as much weight, his hand briefly running over Jesse’s hair before he pulled back, still smiling.

“It’s good to see you too. Happy birthday, son.”

Jesse was given a new birthday memory; one that he hoped in time would erase the attempted birthday that the Deadlock had given him. There was a giant cake baked by Professor Reinhardt (decked out to show house spirit, of course) and endless butterbeer. There was music and light conversation. He’d even gotten presents, despite his adamant protests that he didn’t need anything (“Kid, I know for a fact you don’t own anything so take what you can while people still want to give it to you!”). Genji, Lena, and Fareeha all got together to buy him a large batch of wizarding sweets and joke items. Sombra managed to sneak him a bottle of his favorite whiskey (how she found out which one he liked best and how she got it into Hogwarts he didn’t ask) along with a reminder that he owed her a favor. Professor Amari gave him a new cloak, which was a subdued red and had a subtle pattern around the border that matched his wand along with a note that hinted that she was going to take him shopping for new clothes once the summer break started. Jack gave him a book that broke down some of the most famous wizarding duels in the past decade. Gabe gave him an enchanted pocket watch, hinting that it was to help him get to class on time. Jesse noticed though that when he opened the watch, it not only had the time but on another panel that pointed to different locations with a watch hand. Upon closer inspect, Jesse saw that the hand had Gabe’s name on it. There was a note that said that if wanted to add more names, he just had to ask and Gabe would get it done. He held the watch tight, again feeling his throat constrict a little.

The last gift he opened was from Hanzo. There was another omamori (this one was dark blue with gold trim) and a letter, which invited him to come visit during the summer.

“I had to ask my father, but we came to an agreement so you could come for a few days over the break.”

“You’re sure?” Jesse gave him a concerned look. From what little he’d come to learn about Hanzo’s family, he knew this gift hadn’t been given lightly.

“I think it’ll be good for both of us, plus it’ll give me a break from Genji’s constant chattering.”

Jesse grinned, “Sounds like a plan.”

Professor Amari looked like she wanted to say something, but chose not to.

In the end, it was a good day, one that Jesse sealed away into his memory along with Halloween and Christmas. It was long after midnight by the time everyone started to head back to their dorms. Before Jesse left with Reinhardt to be escorted back though, he met separately with Gabe and Hanzo. He gave Gabe one final hug, making him promise to come visit the school again soon and to rest so he can get back to teaching.

He gave Hanzo a hug as well, thanking him for organizing the party. Hanzo’s cheeks darkened a bit from the gesture, but just as Jesse moved to leave, he took his hand and drew him back, returning the hug.

“It’s good to see you smile again,” Hanzo said quietly before letting go, “Start coming back to class though, ok? I miss you.”

“I’ll be there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go and this fic will be wrapped up. It's kind of crazy to think about. This fic started as a one-shot and now here we are, 90k+ words and 30 chapters in.
> 
> I just want to say thank you so much for all of the amazing reviews, kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks. I really appreciate all of the support. It's helped me out a lot over the past year especially during recent times. 
> 
> This series will have a second installment, so don't worry--all of the hanging plot points will be solved there!
> 
> I plan to update at least one fic once a week (generally on Wednesdays) from now on, so that'll be a thing once I start the second fic.
> 
> Also, fun fact: Blizzard announced McCree on March 9th, which is why I made it his birthday.


	31. Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final months of Jesse's sixth year. Farewells are in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is...the last chapter of Part 1!

The last few months of Jesse’s first year at Hogwarts were filled with heavy studying. Jesse spent most of his time with Hanzo and Angela, working with them to get up to snuff on his spellwork for the current year and to review the spells from the previous years that he missed in preparation for taking his O.W.L.’s (late—like most other things he did in the Wizarding World). He wasn’t sure how Hanzo or Angela had time to help him since both of them were in N.E.W.T. level courses on top of the ones he shared with them, plus in Angela’s case, she was intending to take her N.E.W.T.’s early. They were always there to help him though. His professors were keen to help as well, especially Professor Amari, Jack, and Professor Reinhardt. Between all of them, he felt moderately prepared for his exams.

During the last two weeks of school, he took his exams. Monday he had his exam in Charms. He wasn’t sure about how well his written exam went, but he was able to do all of the charms for the practical portion. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday went about the same with Transfiguration, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, although he felt like he did better on the written portions for Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The last week he only had Potions and History of Magic. He at least didn’t melt his cauldron in his potions O.W.L. but the strictly written exam for History of Magic he felt far less confident about.

With his tests completed, he spent his last week with Hanzo and Fareeha trying to keep Angela from overworking herself. The four often went down to the kitchens to help her to rest and recover. At Hanzo’s suggestion, they left her and Fareeha alone some nights while the two of them went out to walk the grounds.

During all of this Jesse still had to deal with his transformations every moon. Hanzo wasn’t allowed to come, not since his strange behavior during the March moon. Thankfully, it didn’t happen again and the rest of his transformations were relatively normal. Jack and Professor Amari accompanied him during these times, although during his final transformation of the school year Gabe managed to come and visit. He spent most of the night talking to Jesse about simple things, telling him stories about his time as an auror.

“You know…I think it is time that I start to retire.”

“You said you were going to retire months ago,” Jack said, but he went quiet at Jesse’s curious look.

Gabe shrugged, his hand resting on Jesse’s back as he absently ran his fingers over his fur, “The time wasn’t right back then, but now…well, it’s been a rough road. It might be time to let other people take the lead soon.”

He gave Jesse a meaningful glance that wasn’t missed by Jack or Professor Amari, but neither chose to say anything.

 _What’ll you do now?_ Jesse wanted to ask. He nudged Gabe’s knee with his nose, making a sort of whining noise to try to indicate his question. Gabe misunderstood though.

“Don’t worry, it just means I’ll be here more. I’ll actually do my job as a professor for a change.”

“Oh how unfortunate,” Ana said sarcastically, “You mean I’ll have to pay you now for doing work here like you’re supposed to?”

“Hey, do you know how many essays I graded while I was supposed to be recovering? I still did my job, thanks.”

Life, it seemed, was slowly starting to relax into a normal cadence and for a few months, Jesse could almost imagine that he was a regular student who hadn’t once been with the Deadlock Gang, living in ignorance of his heritage.

 

The end of the year feast came faster than Jesse would have liked. It was one of the few times of the year that house tables were enforced and he was forced to part ways with Hanzo upon entering the Great Hall, which was decorated with blue and bronze banners to celebrate Ravenclaw winning the house cup. Gryffindor had come in close second (fifty points) and Hufflepuff and Slytherin had tied for third. After announcing the final standings, Professor Amari stood up, addressing the students.

“It’s been a long and productive year for us, hasn’t it? You’ve all done a wonderful job as students and friends this year. I’ve watched students from different houses team up to help each other over and over, be it on homework or to sneak down to the kitchen after a rough day.” She smiled coyly at this, looking over a few students individually, including Jesse, Hanzo, Angela, and her own daughter. “I’ve seen students show that they are willing to stand by their friends in need regardless of their circumstances or what challenges they may be forced to face for helping them. It gives me hope, seeing the friendships that have formed this year. Going forward on your summer break, I hope you all continue to keep in contact with your friends, even if it's just through letters. Now, I think I’ve said enough. Well done, students to another year completed!”

She clapped her hands as she finished and the tables filled with food and drink. At this point, people started to change seats so they could be with their friends from other houses. Hanzo and Angela immediately came over to the Gryffindor table (Angela bragging to Fareeha about winning and Genji sulking at Hanzo about it). Jesse moved over so Hanzo could sit beside him. For the most part, they spoke about the usual stuff: how their tests had gone, the last few Quidditch matches of the year (Gryffindor had won), whether there was actually a giant squid in the lake. They avoided talking about the summer or the events of the year, despite their presence looming over them.

The last day approached far too quickly. Jesse packed his trunk, noticing how it took a bit of effort now to make sure that everything fit. Teuza was already ready with Professor Amari and would be sent ahead to her home. He said goodbye to a few of the portraits who’d become familiar with him due to his nighttime antics and told his housemates farewell. He wouldn’t be taking the train with the others. Instead, he’d be leaving by portkey with Professor Amari and Fareeha. It still strange knowing that he’d be staying with them, but he’d started to come to terms with it. Gabe promised him that he’d visit often and given how close Gabe, Jack, and Ana were according to Fareeha, he was telling the truth. He’d get to see Hanzo too over the summer once the Ministry approved his travel dates.

That didn’t ease the knot in his throat though when he had to say goodbye to Hanzo at the train. The platform was filled with a sort of hyper melancholy as everyone said goodbye to their friends for the next few months. There was an eagerness to be free, but also that grim knowledge that they wouldn’t be able to see their friends for three months.

Jesse and Hanzo stood over away from the crowd while Genji ran to go get a compartment for him, Zenyatta, and Lena. For a while, Jesse and Hanzo didn’t say much. It was just a repeat of the pleasantries, how they would miss each other and the like. Jesse finally broke the script, taking off his hat and running a hand awkwardly through his hair.

“Listen…Hanzo…I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for the mess that I dragged you into this year.”

“Jesse, you know I—“

“Let me finish. I’m sorry that you were hurt and that things got pretty bad for a while but I’m glad that I met you and that it brought us together. I know it’s selfish, but…I’m still glad it all happened in a way.”

Hanzo smiled, “I’m glad too. It certainly did make the year eventful, although now I’m a little worried about my N.E.W.T.s next year because of it.”

“You have time to study. Got all summer and most of the next year.”

“Not all summer,” Hanzo corrected, “I’ll be seeing you, right?”

Jesse sighed, “If everything goes well.”

“For both of us. You’re not the only one who has to convince people that this is ok.”

“Your father still giving you shit?”

Hanzo looked away, “Something like that.”

“Is there any way I can help?”

“It’s something I have to handle myself. If you get involved it’ll just make it worse.” He saw Jesse’s face and added, “I’ll resolve it, don’t worry. You have your own troubles to worry about.”

“Somehow my problems always become your problems though. It’d be nice for it to be the other way around for a change.”

“Your problems just happen to be ones that I have the expertise to help with is all. Some of them I’m rather uniquely qualified for.”

Jesse smiled a little sadly, “Moon’s are going to suck over the summer without company.”

“It’ll be September before you know it. Who knows, maybe if everything goes well and things are fixed over the summer, we can go running again—this time though I’d rather that you had your own mind when we do.” Hanzo hummed a note and said in a hush, “I have to admit…I understand now why you wanted to run so bad.”

“You mean you never let loose before?”

Hanzo arched an eyebrow, “Where could I do that at my home? Or would you suggest that I run out into the Forbidden Forest to do it?”

“I would,” Jesse grinned.

“You also have no sense of self-preservation.”

“I take offense to that! I think I’ve managed to preserve myself pretty well all things considered.”

Hanzo gave him a once over, “Really?”

“Well…most of myself.”

The train let out a loud whistle, signaling that there were five minutes left before it would leave. Hanzo picked up his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you soon, Jesse.”

Hanzo moved to leave, but Jesse reached out, grabbing his shoulder. He held on for a moment, a sense of dread starting to build in his stomach.

“I…”

Hanzo pulled him into a tight hug. Jesse could smell his shampoo and the lingering scent of maple syrup on his breath from breakfast and the wood polish from tending his broom. There was a bit of grass caught in his hair from their last walk down to the lake. It was strange how familiar the smells were now, even outside of his wolf form.

When Jesse pulled away, he hesitated, then leaned in and gave Hanzo a kiss on the cheek. Jesse felt his own cheeks turning red as Hanzo stared at him, dark eyes widening.

“It just…I ah…”

Hanzo glanced around them, then pulled Jesse in, kissing him back before letting go.

“I’ll see you soon, Jesse. Make sure you write over the summer, ok?”

Jesse nodded, completely aware of his still reddening face. Before Hanzo got too far away, he managed to say, “Hey, wait!” and ran over, slapping his cowboy hat onto Hanzo’s head. “Hold on to this until I see you again.”

Hanzo gave him an exasperated glare but straightened the hat nonetheless before heading off to the train to join his brother.

 

Jesse watched the train pull away and stayed on the platform until it disappeared into the distance. He reached up, touching the warm spot on his cheek where Hanzo had kissed him back.

He’d never kissed anyone before.

 

Jesse met with Professor Amari and Fareeha at the gates, his trunk floating behind him. Jack and Gabe were with them, preparing to set off to Hogsmeade after seeing Jesse and the Amari’s off. It was a fast goodbye since Ana (she told Jesse to call her Ana while school was out) wanted to get home with enough time to go to the market to get supplies for dinner and Jack wanted to do the same. They gave Jesse a moment alone with Gabe while they pretended to get involved in a discussion of their old dueling tactics.

“Well, the Ministry accepted my resignation. As of August 31st, I won’t be an auror anymore.”

Jesse looked down, “What’ll you do now?”

“What do you mean? I’ll teach at Hogwarts.”

“I guess I just…you don’t seem like the sort of person who’d be fine just staying and teaching.”

“Well, I’ll make it work. I can’t go back into the field, not after what happened in that warehouse. I’m a liability to my team since we’re not entirely sure what happened. I think you can understand that?”

He could. Jesse knew damn well what Gabe meant and how he felt.

“Besides, if I can find a more stable living situation, the Ministry might release you back into my custody. Ana will take care of you though until then. She can cook too, which is a plus I think. Jack can’t cook at all and I’m pretty rusty. Behave yourself, alright?”

“I will.”

Gabe smiled and reached out, mussing his hair, “You’ve grown a lot this year. Look at you. Or maybe it’s because you’re not wearing that hat anymore that I can see it.”

Jesse blushed, “You just haven’t seen me for a while is all.”

“I guess it _has_ been a while…but you really have grown, in more ways than one. I’m proud of you. You’ve come a long way from that kid I met in the diner.”

He wanted to tell Gabe that he was going to fix it all—that he was going to prove that he was someone that he could be proud of. He was going to find out what Moira did and what the Deadlock Gang and Talon were up to. He was going to figure out why they kidnapped the little girl Amelia and where her friend Gerald was. He was going to bring Doomfist and Mr. Talon to justice. Instead, he blurted out,

“I’m going to be an auror, Gabe.”

Gabe stared at him before an almost sad smile broke across his face, “I’m not surprised. You’d make a good one.”

“Jesse! Gabe! It’s time to leave!”

Gabe put his hand on Jesse’s back, steering him back over to Ana, Jack, and Fareeha. Jesse and the Amaris gathered around their portkey, waiting for the spell to take effect at exactly 2 o’clock. Jesse kept his eyes on Gabe until he felt a hook behind his naval and suddenly he was flying. Hogwarts fell away and his world spun, faster and faster, until he landed in a patch of grass. Sitting up slowly, he saw that they’d arrived in front of a small blue house out in the country. The front yard was filled with flowerbeds and surrounded by a white picket fence. He’d never lived in a house like this before.

Ana got to her feet and helped her daughter up before going to Jesse, offering her hand, “Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! I honestly stil l can't believe it. This is the first long fic that I've ever completed and it's honestly a little surreal to know that it's done.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who joined me! All of the reviews, reactions, and kudos drove me to finish this and to work on the second part (which will be coming soon!).
> 
> I'll be going back retroactively to patch this fic up, but for now...it's done xD
> 
> Part two is located here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/15920067/chapters/37113900


End file.
